


Connection

by Naramis



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/F, Smut, other members of the crew make appearances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-01 06:41:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10916424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naramis/pseuds/Naramis
Summary: Peebee is an adventurer, always striving to explore what she doesn't understand. Aboard the Tempest, she soon finds herself intrigued by the ship's doctor, curious to uncover what lies beneath the surface...





	1. Chapter 1

Peebee hadn’t signed up for this. Yes, she wanted to accompany the Pathfinder to more vaults and use her ability to interface with the Remnant to learn more than she could on her own. But that was it. She didn’t want any commitment, with anything or anyone, and she _definitely_ didn’t want to be examined by the Tempest’s doctor.

Unfortunately, Ryder had made it clear to her that this was mandatory if she ever wanted to join them in the field. To be perfectly honest, she was debating to just forget about it and leave as quickly as she’d arrived. Yet here she was, dragging herself down to med bay. _Why?_

Oh, she knew why. It was her curiosity once again getting the better of her, making her agree to things she’d usually not even consider, let alone go along with. It was just that Ryder was her easy access to more knowledge of the remnant. She couldn’t pass this up.

Not bothering to knock, she just entered the med bay, looking around to find another asari bent over her desk. The woman turned at the noise, meeting Peebee’s glance.

“Hello. I’ve been expecting you. I’m Lexi T’Perro, the Tempest’s doctor,” she said in a professional, yet soft voice as she approached Peebee, reaching out her hand.

Peebee instinctively crossed her arms, keeping a neutral facial expression. “Look, I’m not down here ‘cause I want to be, so let’s just get this over with,” she replied with a dismissive tone to her voice, holding Lexi’s gaze throughout.

She didn’t miss her eyes widening just so, eyebrows moving up in surprise. She retreated her hand, and Peebee half expected her to change her attitude.

“Okay. No problem,” Lexi replied, then pointed over to the medical bed. “You can sit down there while I explain to you what the exam will entail.”

Peebee had to admit, she hadn’t seen that often. Someone who almost perfectly kept their composure in a situation like this. She was _almost_ a little impressed. Almost.

“Fine.” She walked past Lexi and towards the bed, then waited as she stared around the room in boredom. She hoped this pointless crap was over soon.

“Okay. Give me a minute, please,” Lexi said while she rummaged through her equipment. It made Peebee roll her eyes, unbeknownst to the doctor. As if she’d run away now. She had to do this.

When she finally turned back to Peebee, the younger asari was still aimlessly staring around, not bothering to acknowledge her. “So, since I don’t know your name and I have no file on you, I will need to ask you a few health-related questions before I can run tests on you.”

No response. She would continue in a moment anyway, and Peebee was getting incredibly bored, to say the least.

She looked back at the doctor just in time to see her audibly sigh, and it pleased Peebee a little bit. _Winding her up, hm…_ maybe this wouldn’t be so boring after all.

“Okay, first question: Do you have any current or past medical conditions yourself or in your family?” Still professional, still calm. She bounced back fast, Peebee had to give her that.

“Nope, healthy as can be,” she replied lazily, leaning back on her arms as she held the doctor’s gaze, watching her make a note on her datapad.

“How are you feeling at the moment? Is there anything troubling you, physically or psychologically?”

Peebee sat back up, crossing her arms once more. She hated this more with every second. “That’s none of your business, really. I’m fine, that’s all you need to know, doc.”

She saw Lexi hesitating now before making a lengthy note, and Peebee peaked to try and read it, but without success. “What’s next?”

The doctor looked up at her before putting the datapad to the side. “Next, I will need to do a physical exam on you. This means I will check your upper body and head as well as your heartbeat. Then I will take a blood sample.”

That was… a hell of a lot of stuff. Peebee didn’t like it, it made her feel unprotected, raw and open to a complete stranger. So she did what she did best, a lazy smirk appearing on her lips as she leaned forward, “Woah, doc. You’re not playing around at all, are you?”

She loved it. The irritation on that face, that second of silence as she could practically feel Lexi desperately trying to formulate an appropriate reply – she just loved it.

Lexi sighed. “I know what you’re trying to do.” She took a deep breath, “I’m not doing this for fun. This is my job.” Peebee smirked more. It was working. She had wound her up perfectly, and it was a marvel to watch, really.

“But… let me say that the longer you keep dragging this out, the more time you waste here.” Lexi’s eyes met hers, seemingly unfazed by the cocky smirk on the other asari’s face.

Peebee hated to admit it, but the doctor actually had a point. Was she being outsmarted here, despite her first successful efforts? And, more importantly, was it worth arguing about? She couldn’t seem to get out of this. _Maybe not._

“Okay, okay. Let’s get it over and done with.”

Lexi nodded. “Please remove your jacket and shirt.”

It bothered Peebee. Again, she felt vulnerable. Vulnerable to be exposed like that. But the unwavering gaze Lexi gave her made it clear quickly that there was no negotiating here, and quite honestly… What had she expected?

She spent the next few minutes following Lexi’s orders as the latter followed through with the exam, closely watched by the younger asari. There was something… different about T’Perro, something that set her apart from most of the other doctors Peebee had encountered in her short life.

It bothered her that she couldn’t put her finger on it. It was something about the way she touched Peebee as she examined her, delicate fingers pressing down with just enough force as she was looking for pressure points and anything out of the ordinary, attentive gaze following her every movement and reaction whilst still focussing on the matter at hand, as her matter-of-factly yet strangely calming voice gave her directions.

Peebee studied her with a heightened sense of curiosity, bothered by her inability to grasp what it was about Dr. T’Perro that struck her as so different. Something behind all that professional attitude of hers…

Then she made a face, torn from her thoughts in an instant as she could feel the familiar pinch of a needle pressing into her vein. _Uncool._

Dr. T’Perro shifted, removing the needle when she had her blood sample. “Okay, we’re done. You can get dressed.”

“Finally.” She was back in her clothes quick as lightning, not paying any more attention to the doctor as she left without another word.

She was _so_ glad to finally be done with this, immediately making her way over to her new quarters in the escape pod.

Peebee hoped she didn’t have to do any of this bullshit for a while. Not only was this a waste of her precious time, but there was something unsettling about this doctor. Something that felt like she was getting under her skin without even trying… she was feeling analysed, watched, and she didn’t like it.

“Just another subject she can study,” she mumbled to herself after entering her quarters. Oh, but she wouldn’t be. Peebee wasn’t some sort of experiment she could analyse, acting as if she could work out exactly who she was without even knowing her.

  

* * *

 

 

As soon as the door closed, Lexi immediately sat down to write her report about the new crewmember whose name she didn’t even know.

There wasn’t a great deal to write about her in terms of physique, she seemed healthy from what her questionnaire and tests had provided. Though she might have to add some more here once she had the results from the blood sample.

Psychologically, however, there was more to say about the asari. From what Lexi could gather after their brief get-to-know, she wasn’t only exhausting, but she was also nothing like anyone she’d ever met before. She clearly had some degree of commitment issues, that much was obvious from her choice of quarters. But there was more, so much more.

She was distanced in the sense that she had put up a thick wall between them the moment she’d stepped into the room, Lexi had noticed that right away. Yet she clearly also had a completely different side to her, a side that had on at least one occasion tried to actively taunt Lexi, and the doctor frowned a little as she admitted to herself that it had sort of worked.

And then there was the way the asari had watched her, studied her while she’d performed the examination. She hadn’t failed to notice those analytical eyes roaming around her face and her every movement as she went about checking her. Yes, she was analysing her, just as Lexi was doing with her.

In a weird way, it made her smile faintly as she wrapped up the report and put away the datapad. It seemed she shared that particular trait with their stowaway, even if in every other way they seemed as different as they could be.

She would be a difficult patient, definitely. But Lexi also had that feeling that there was more to her than met the eye, and deep inside it intrigued her a little bit, sparking her curiosity.

 

* * *

 

 

Peebee let herself drop on her makeshift bed with a thud, sighing as the stress of the day fell off her. It had been hard, but rewarding. Incredibly rewarding. They’d found another vault on Voeld, activating it as if they’d never done anything else in their lives.

Damn, it was exciting. Clearly, joining Ryder was one of the best things she’d done since coming to Andromeda… and since that list wasn’t particularly long, it was even better.

All this new exciting stuff, the new knowledge… it could just about make her forget – even if only for a while – about all the shit that went down the past few months.

_Kalinda._ The name entered her mind without her being able to help it, disdain on her face as she inevitably thought about her, about their fucked up connection Peebee had thought was love. She’d been dumb, and she knew it wouldn’t happen again. She was keeping her distance now, much less hassle and emotional baggage that only pulled you down.

Peebee shook her head. She didn’t want to think about this right now. It distressed her, ruining her perfectly good mood. Instead, she opted for a more cheerful way to spend her time as she headed down to the kitchen, curious if the Tempest was stocking any alcohol.

She was lucky. The Tempest had a selection of human beer as well as some Ryncol, probably brought on board by Drack, she assumed with a grin. She knew what she was going for, she wanted to go out with a bang tonight, especially with how Kalinda seemed to haunt her.

She picked the Ryncol, turning around to leave the room when Dr. T’Perro entered, eyes immediately dropping to the bottle in Peebee’s hand. It had been a while since she last saw the doctor, having made an effort to avoid her whenever possible.

Peebee quickly agreed with herself to continue that tactic as she ignored the other asari, swiftly leaving the room before she had a chance to say anything.

This evening belonged to her, and she wouldn’t have it ruined by that nosy doctor asking her questions or scolding her for drinking alcohol – something she could totally see her do.

Once she’d reached her safe haven, it didn’t Peebee long to get drunk. Ryncol was strong, the main reason she’d picked it. She enjoyed the burning sensation as the liquor went down her throat, sip after sip, pushing her worries and fears further and further into the distance till they were only a faint memory and all she could feel was that fuzzy warmness in her head making everything so damn light and funny.

She laughed for no particular reason, letting herself fall back on her bed. Life was great. She closed her eyes, daydreaming away about vaults, the Remnant, and the weird adventure that Andromeda was. She barely noticed how her eyes became heavier and heavier until she couldn’t fight sleep any longer, conquering her entirely within minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter! More to come soon. This is my first multi-chapter fic, so I'd really appreciate feedback so I can learn from it. I especially questioned myself in the way I characterised Lexi, so would be great if you guys gave me some input whether she feels properly in character to you as the chapters go on. Thank you, guys! :)


	2. Chapter 2

_A few days later…_

“We need to retreat to a safer position!” Cora’s voice came in over the comm as the team moved back to safer territory with more cover.

The kett just kept coming, and the blistering cold of Voeld didn’t help either. They fortified their position behind a few rocks, shooting out from the side whenever there was an opening.

Peebee hated those bastards. There was just no end to them, they kept showing up whenever the Pathfinder’s team tried so much as breathe in peace. She peaked out from cover, firing a few quick shots before pulling back into safety, waiting for the next barrage to fly past her.

But she had an idea. What if she snuck around from behind, giving them a pleasant surprise…? She looked over to Ryder, then gestured for herself to move around, getting the okay from the Pathfinder who stayed behind with Cora to distract the kett.

She was tense as she made her way around the formation of rocks, the shots of her team becoming more distanced with every step she made, gun at the ready in case any kett had the same idea.

Peebee didn’t take long to reach her destination, smirking when she peaked out behind enemy lines, right at the back of the kett. _Now the fun begins._

She didn’t waste any time as she left cover and emptied a whole clip into them before they even realised what was going on. Those bastards had been the vain of her existence ever since she’d set foot on Eos, and it felt so, so good to give them what they deserved, mowing them down one after one.

Their ranks were quickly decimated, now being shot from two sides at once, and Peebee couldn’t help but chuckle when Cora charged right into one of their Chosen, biotic energy tearing everything in her way apart. “That is pretty cool,” she spoke more to herself.

Maybe she was a bit too occupied; Peebee didn’t spot the kett that had snuck up behind her, aiming his gun at her-

“Peebee! Behind you!” Ryder screamed, alerting the asari just in time. Peebee turned, groaning in pain when the bullet entered her arm. The kett soldier fell immediately after as Cora returned the favour with her shotgun, then checked the perimeter for more kett as Ryder ran over to their injured teammate.

Inspecting the wound, Ryder’s face scrunched. “Uh, that looks bad.”

Holding the wound, Peebee grated her teeth. “Totally- ugh. I deserve some days off for that.”

Ryder could only chuckle. That asari never lost her humour, did she? “Only just been shot and already making demands.”

“Of course, what did you think?” Peebee smirked before her attention was drawn back to the piercing pain in her right arm.

“All clear,” Cora reported. Then she, too, came to Peebee’s side. With Peebee wounded, they decided to finish up for today and return to the Tempest.

 

* * *

 

 

Dr. T’Perro was really the last person Peebee felt like seeing right now. Unfortunately, she happened to be the ship’s doctor, and Peebee was pretty sure there was no way of getting out of this with a bullet in her arm.

_No, definitely not,_ she thought when they exited the Nomad inside the Tempest and Lexi immediately rushed over to take her to med bay.

Peebee immediately tensed when the door closed behind them and Lexi attempted to walk her over to the medical bed. “I was shot in the arm, not my leg, you know,” she joked as she swatted Lexi’s arm away, being met with a brief frown as the doctor kept her distance.

She couldn’t help but grin, despite it all. Peebee was beginning to enjoy winding her up, more so with every time she successfully did it. And hey, maybe it would eventually get the doctor off her back? She was totally down for that.

When she sat down, it didn’t take her longer than a second before Lexi was with her again. “Let me check your wound,” she asked, polite as always. “Please take off your jacket.”

Peebee let her get through with that one, after all she did need medical attention. She nodded, then winced when she moved her arm to take off the jacket, Dr. T’Perro reaching out to support her with careful hands.

Once the garment was off, the doctor leaned down to inspect the wound, only to rush over to her equipment a moment after. “Okay, Peebee. This will hurt a bit now, but I will need to remove the projectile. Are you ready?”

“I was born ready. Hit me, doc,” she replied as if she had no care in the world, a cheeky smile on her lips.

That disappeared quickly when Lexi went to work and with one swift pull removed the projectile, a sharp pain hitting Peebee. “Ughh… Fuck!”

“Are you okay?” Peebee looked up at grey eyes, and there it was again, that weird _thing,_ whatever it was, peaking out just so right behind that thick wall of practised routine and cold professionalism. Why did she have such a hard time figuring this out? She wanted to dig deeper.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You getting worried, doc?” she teased, cheeky green eyes focused on the doctor as she watched her reach to her right to fetch some disinfectant.

It disrupted Dr. T’Perro more than even Peebee had anticipated. Eyes looked away in a short burst of what probably closest resembled confusion, then back before she caught herself, “What? No- I mean, yes. You are my patient, of course I am concerned.”

And there she was, back to her collected self within seconds. It was fascinating to watch for Peebee. “Of course,” she replied, voice laced with cheek. She was starting to feel intrigued by this mystery that Lexi T’Perro was.

But the doctor paid her no heed now as she sprayed the disinfectant on the wound, then put a bandage around it with gentle hands, as if Peebee would break if she didn’t take care. It stood out; most doctors were acting more like they should be working in a slaughterhouse instead, Peebee found. But not her. She made a mental note of this.

“Dr. T’Perro- Lexi,” Peebee started casually, garnering the doctor’s attention, “What did you do before you became a doctor?”

She immediately burst into a grin when the doctor’s eyebrows went up in surprise. She did not expect that. Lexi turned over to her desk, tidying up her equipment as she spoke, “I’ve always been a doctor. I started the education when I was still young.”

“Always? Really? Come on, there must have been something more exciting before,” Peebee responded with a sly grin. She’d chosen her words carefully, setting out the trap.

Lexi turned at the words, halting her movements. “More exciting?” she repeated, voice incredulous but nevertheless collected.

Not bad. Peebee had halfway expected her to react to this one, yet she had skilfully evaded just that. “Yeah, you know. Something with a bit more action…” she paused, playful green hues staring right at the doctor, “something that gives you that kick of adrenaline.”

Lexi chuckled as she turned back to her desk, “Most doctors would disagree with you on that. There is often more ‘action’ to it than many of us would like.”

“Many of us? What about you?” This intrigued her. Peebee had always been curious, and damn it if Lexi wasn’t an interesting case. Like an artefact waiting to be uncovered – from a distance, of course.

“I… I prefer it quiet.” Hesitation, insecurity. Peebee hopped off the med bed, closing a few steps between her and Lexi.

“Quiet? No offence, doc, but I get a feeling the Pathfinder’s ship wasn’t a very wise pick then.” She crossed her arms casually, half a smile on her face when the doctor put down her work once again to face her.

“I was thinking that as well when you came in with a bullet in your arm,” Lexi countered, the hint of a smile on her lips.

_What the hell?_ That caught Peebee off guard. Unexpected, completely unexpected. Maybe the doctor had more fire to her than she thought.

“Too much action for you? Not everyone can keep up with me,” the younger asari teased, crossing her arms as she leaned back slightly.

“If keeping up with you entails being shot in the arm, then I’d rather not.”

Not bad, not bad at all. The doctor could do sass, despite everything Peebee had initially thought of her. This was fun. How much more was there to her…?

“Gotta say, you might have a point there, doc,” Peebee conceded with a shrug.

“Am I interrupting something? I’m here for my physical.” Their gazes fell to the door at the familiar voice of none other than Cora Harper.

Peebee chuckled, “Don’t worry, Cora, you didn’t walk in on anything…,” she walked over to the door, turning to both women when she was next to the commando, “yet.”

With a wink in Lexi’s direction, she lingered just long enough to see her face drop before seeing herself out.

 

**

 

“Well, okay,” Cora said as she looked after Peebee, then back to Lexi. The door closed behind her when she walked in and over to the medical bed.

Lexi sighed in defeat. “She’s exhausting. Is she like that with everyone?”

“She… can be. I’ve received my fair share of teasing, though she’s never flirted with me,” Cora replied, noticing the blush on Lexi’s face at the mention of the flirt.

“I’m sure she didn’t flirt,” the doctor said a bit more sternly than she intended to.

_It sure looked like it,_ Cora thought, but she wasn’t going to press on about it. “Yeah, well, I don’t know with Peebee.”

They quickly changed the topic after that, small talk dominating their conversation while Lexi checked up on Cora. Despite that, her mind didn’t quite cooperate. It still lingered on her conversation with Peebee; Lexi hadn’t failed to notice how their interaction had changed, how Peebee’s behaviour had shifted. She was more open now, playfully teasing Lexi in a clear attempt to get under her skin. Once she’d seen through that, the doctor had successfully changed her tactics, countering with her own sense of humour, and she had to admit to herself it had actually been quite fun. Peebee hadn’t expected that, hadn’t anticipated Lexi had it in her.

But then there was that flirt, or whatever it was, with Peebee proving yet again that she could easily confuse Lexi even when she thought she’d somewhat grasped the younger asari, having established a fortified hold that couldn’t be shaken – except when it was, by Peebee.

Despite that, though, she felt like she was beginning to understand the younger asari a little bit. She was the very definition of a free spirit, that much was obvious. But there were so many layers hidden underneath, hidden behind that wall of nonchalant jokes and cocky remarks that ultimately always led attention away from Peebee and to others, to Lexi.

And she was definitely trying to read Lexi, she’d noticed it the first time they met and she was still noticing it now. Why, she didn’t know. She wasn’t that interesting – she thought, anyway – but she got the impression Peebee was intrigued by all she didn’t understand, striving to dig deep and find out more. It really was a mirror of Lexi, in a way. Same intention, just their methods diverged.

Lexi had to admit that she liked that. She liked noticing how Peebee wasn’t just content judging people from what information was readily available on the surface. No, Peebee was constantly watching, reading, analysing her to try and learn more, not easily fooled by appearances. Indeed it was a trait they shared, and the thought made Lexi smile faintly despite her best efforts as she continued working with Cora.

Before she knew it, the commando and her were already done and she was left alone to write her reports. It was getting late when she was finally done, yawning as she leaned back in her chair, thoughts flying back to Peebee. She’d been on her mind more than Lexi wanted to admit, something about her prodding the doctor’s mind to linger on her longer than she rightfully should.

She rubbed her temples. What was it with Peebee that fascinated her so much?

 

* * *

 

 

Peebee woke up abruptly, panting, clutching her aching heart. _Fuck, will this ever stop?_

_Kalinda._ She haunted her, infesting her thoughts, taking in her dreams even – more often than not. This one was particularly bad: Peebee was running from her, but she just couldn’t get away. Kalinda got her eventually, sinister eyes staring into her very soul as she whispered, “You’re mine. Always… No one will ever love you anyway, Pelessaria.”

It hurt, still did. Not that they broke up, if anything Peebee was happy about that. Happy to get away from someone like Kalinda, someone who clearly didn’t love her.

No, what hurt was all the time before. How it turned bad, how she suddenly wasn’t Kalinda’s princess anymore, but just a nuisance, good enough for a hollow, meaningless fuck every now and then but not worthy of her love and affection. Peebee had felt betrayed, still did, betrayed of her trust and the genuine feelings she had had for Kalinda. That’s what hurt.

And deep inside, Peebee wondered whether Kalinda was right. Maybe she wasn’t worth to be loved? Maybe she didn’t deserve it?

She sighed when she noticed a tear running down her face. This was still upsetting her way too much. _That’s why you don’t do strings anymore. Just hurts._

“Yeah,” she whispered to herself. She wondered what the crew thought about her. What had inclined Ryder to allow her, of all people, on her ship? Her, the weirdo that had voluntarily chosen the escape pod as her quarters. The remnant-obsessed asari that regularly managed to piss off half the crew with her lame jokes and cheeky comments.

She wondered. Ryder must have her reasons. Her thoughts strayed further; What did that doctor, Lexi, think about her? Aside from Ryder, she was probably the most intriguing member of the Tempest crew as far as Peebee was concerned.

The others, they were open, few mysteries to uncover as Peebee had them all figured out within a short time. They were all unique, sure, but there was no adventure to be sought, nothing to explore that didn’t readily present itself to her anyway.

But Lexi… Lexi was different. She’d put up a wall around her, a concrete wall made up off rationality and distanced friendliness. Peebee had got a glimpse of what might lay underneath today. She’d lured her outside just enough to catch her sense of humour, something she had honestly questioned she even possessed before.

There was more, though. Images of the day entered Peebee as she pondered about that expression in her eyes, well hidden in the grey colours.

_Are you okay?_ It echoed in her head, Lexi searching to make eye contact just after she’d removed the bullet, brow furrowed just so. Peebee had looked up, seeing the concern in her eyes. Concern. _She cares. She actually cares._

Of course! Peebee felt like a bit of an idiot for not noticing this sooner, for not picking up on all the signs. The way Lexi touched her, gentle, never without thought, always watching her every reaction whenever she did something that may cause pain. It wasn’t really subtle, yet it was at the same time as Lexi did a nearly flawless job of lacing it with her professional demeanour so it blended in.

But she’d given herself away that moment she removed the bullet. The wall had crumbled, if only for a moment, and it had allowed Peebee to peak in. And she liked what she saw, knowing people like Lexi were rare.

The asari wondered. How many people generally noticed? And how many people just took it all at face value, not digging deeper as they ultimately – so she figured – probably perceived Lexi as nice, as polite, but as an uncaring doctor that focused more on analysing them than anything else.

Peebee’s mind was racing now, fascinated by her discovery. She should really be sleeping, though. She decided to go fetch something nice to drink, maybe that would help.

She couldn’t have been more surprised when she entered the kitchen and saw none other than Lexi sit at the table with a hot coffee before her, captivated by the datapad before her.

“Still up, doc?”

Lexi twitched, causing Peebee to smile. “What? Oh… Yes.” She took a moment to collect herself as Peebee leaned in the doorframe.

“What ‘ya up to?” the younger asari wanted to know as she went over and got herself some water from the fridge, not failing to notice Lexi’s eyes on her.

“Oh, I’m just working extra hours. What are you doing up at this time, Peebee?”

“Ah, you know. Just couldn’t sleep,” she replied in a relaxed manner, then sat down opposite Lexi. She couldn’t see herself sleeping yet anyway, why not stay here for now? Could be interesting.

It became quiet for a while with the women both in their own heads, Lexi studying her datapad, while Peebee took her time and studied Lexi. As much as she’d analysed her psychologically, it dawned on Peebee that she’d never actually taken the time to just _look_ at her.

She made up for that now, eyes roaming across Lexi’s face and the part of her body she could see. Looks were relevant, sure, but they’d never been the most important thing for Peebee when it came to people. Their attitude mattered more, judging books by their cover was pointless.

That being said… she couldn’t deny Lexi was beautiful, there was no doubt about it. Even now, where she was utterly focused on reading, her face still had a soft kindness to it. Peebee smiled. She didn’t quite know why, but just looking at Lexi like that, it was calming. Calming and reassuring.

“You can stop staring now.”

Peebee twitched as Lexi’s voice cut through the silence. She’d been caught. “I wasn’t staring,” she tried with a semi-confident tone to her voice, underlining it with a grin when Lexi looked up to meet her eyes, giving her an incredulous look.

“You were staring incessantly.”

“Mmmhhh, okay. Maybe a little,” Peebee admitted, still grinning. “You got to excuse me, though, doc. It’s hard not to.” She winked.

Lexi immediately looked away, embarrassment evident on her face.

“What’s up?”

Of course Peebee knew what was up. She hadn’t missed the faint blush on Lexi’s face, nor had she anticipated any other reaction than that.

Lexi frowned now, eyes coming back to meet Peebee’s, irritation visible now with how her lips were slightly pursed, eyebrows tight together on her brow. “Will you stop flirting with me!”

_Woah, that’s a first._ Lexi raising her voice… that was new. But it didn’t deter Peebee in the least. Not with how well this was going, how could she not press on? This was just too much fun.

“Why? Does it bother you?” Not a care in the world. Of course it bothered her.

Lexi’s facial expression fell, anger giving way to confusion, then insecurity. “No- I mean, yes. Yes, it bothers me.”

_What._ Now it was Peebee’s turn to be caught off guard. Had she heard right? She’d said ‘no’ first, right? She did, definitely. And only then she corrected herself. Peebee would capitalise on that, she wanted to, but… that was kind of unexpected. Was Lexi playing along again?

A quick look in her face denied her theory. Lexi seemed just as shocked as she was.

“I-… I’m going to bed. Good night.” The doctor rose from her seat, taking her drink and datapad as she rushed past Peebee, leaving her to her thoughts.

“What the hell.” She directed the words at no one particular, they just came out. Lexi… _liked_ her flirting. Sure, it was just in good fun – right? – but this was still a shocking revelation. Lexi, the down-to-business doctor of the Tempest. That same person.

Weird, just weird. It wasn’t Lexi’s style, it didn’t add up. Food for thought, definitely. Peebee needed to think about this, she wanted to get to the bottom of this. And yet… as puzzling as it was, she felt a weird ache in her chest.

Was she getting soft? She irritated people on a daily basis, but suddenly it bothered her when they reacted badly? _Come on._ She forced herself to man up, taking her drink to go back to bed. _Whatever. Lexi will get over it._

 

 **

 

Lexi practically ran into the med bay, locking the door behind her – she really didn’t want Peebee to get any funny ideas and run after her. She needed to be alone.

Rushing over to her seat, she put down her stuff and sat, massaging her temples as she closed her eyes. What was happening?

_Okay, okay. One thing after the other. Concentrate, Lexi._

It had all been fine until she caught Peebee staring at her. Openly, without even the littlest effort to at least try and hide it. But that was just Peebee, nothing to worry about here.

What _was_ concerning, however, was that she started flirting again right after… and her own reaction to it was probably what worried her most about it. It flattered her. She _liked_ it.

There was no denying it. She sighed audibly.

“Peebee is a patient. This is getting out of hand, I can’t-“ Can’t _what_ , exactly? Peebee was playing, it didn’t mean anything to her. Lexi was the one with the problem, feeling a weird rush of excitement over a compliment by a patient.

_Wrong, highly wrong. Very, very wrong._ She repeated it in her head like a mantra, hoping it would clear her head. She wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, but she had to stop it before it got any more out of hand.

 

* * *

 

 

_Kalinda. I told you to stay away from me._ She crossed her arms, lips pressed together as she stared down the woman before her.

_Oh babe, are you worried I’m gonna spoil your fun?_ She smirked now, that condescending curl of her lips Peebee had always loathed.

_What are you even talking about?_

A chuckle. Kalinda approached her, walking right past her as a cold hand touched her shoulder. _Don’t play dumb with me, babe. I’ve seen the way you look at her…_

_What?_ She didn’t so much as whisper the question as she turned to Kalinda, confusion written all over her face.

She outright laughed at Peebee now as she walked further away into the mist. _If you think about it hard enough, I’m sure you’ll find the answer… babe._

Peebee woke up in a pool of her own sweat, taking a moment to rid herself of the weird feeling it had left her with. She usually tried to not think too hard about the dreams she had, but this one was making it difficult for her.

Thinking about it now, she – unlike her slightly slow dream-self – knew exactly what Kalinda meant, and the very thought terrified her. She clutched onto the duvet.

But, it’s all fine, right? Just a dream, she _didn’t_ see Lexi that way. Most definitely not. Clearly, Kalinda in her dreams was just as ridiculous as she was in real life. _I mean, sure, Lexi is pretty and all that, but that’s it._

Thinking about it… memories of last night came back to her, not doing anything to help her mood this morning. Why did it bother her so much?

“Peebee? Do you have a minute to come see me? I need to talk to you.”

Lexi. Fuck. She had a feeling she knew what this was about. “Uhm, sure. Be there in five.”

Lexi was going to make a big deal out of this, wasn’t she? _Uptight, wayyyy too uptight,_ she joked to herself to lighten the mood – it didn’t help much. Jumping into her clothes, she left her room, rushing to the bathroom for her morning routine.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she neared med bay. _Maybe, I mean, just hypothetically you fancy Lexi a bit?_

_Hypothetically, maybe. Wouldn’t push her out of bed. But that’s it, nothing else to it. Right._

Only now she noticed she’d already been standing here, right in front of Lexi’s door, for far too long. She must look like an idiot.

She didn’t hesitate any longer when she entered. Lexi turned at the noise, and Peebee nearly gasped at the sight. She looked as if she hadn’t slept at all, what with those nasty dark rings under her eyes.

“Woah, Lexi. You fine?”

Lexi avoided her gaze as she neared her with slow steps. “Yes, I’m fine.” _Liar._

“We need to talk. In short: I need this to stop.” She crossed her arms as her reddened eyes met Peebee’s, and for once all she could see in those grey hues was coldness, distance. It tugged at her heart, but she pushed it away for now.

“Need what to stop?” Peebee repeated. It only occurred to her after that that probably came across like she didn’t take this seriously. But for once she did.

Lexi frowned at her, voice unusually low as she spoke, “This is not the time for games, Peebee.” She took a deep breath, looking to the side. “I mean the… flirting. You’re my patient, this needs to stop.”

Peebee nodded. Of course this was what she meant. Even though she didn’t see it her way, she kind of understood. Lexi seemed to take this much more seriously than Peebee. “Okay.”

Lexi raised her eyebrows. “Okay?”

“Yeah, okay. I get it. I’ll hold back from now on, doc.” Peebee herself was a bit taken aback now by how calm she was. Not even the tiniest joke about getting under her skin or the likes, nothing.

Lexi nodded. “Thank you.”

There was a brief awkward silence before Peebee spoke up, “I’ll be on my way, then. See ya.” She turned around before Lexi even had a chance to reply.

Nevertheless she heard the doctor call after her. “Don’t forget about your physical on Wednesday.”

_Yes, mom,_ she felt like saying but didn’t.


	3. Chapter 3

_The next day…_

It was a great idea. Peebee had loved it the moment Ryder had suggested it: All the crew going out to the Vortex together for a drink. It sounded fun, and – at least in her opinion – was a much-needed opportunity for them all to just relax and have some fun together.

The moment they entered the Vortex, Peebee could already feel part of the built-up stress fall off her shoulders as her body gave in to the rhythm of the music, lightly swaying to the beat. Ryder was a genius in her book right now. The group quickly made their way over to the bar.

“Give me the strongest stuff you’ve got,” Peebee screamed over the loud music, slightly tapping her foot to the bass-heavy beat. She was in a fabulous mood.

The asari bartender put down a shot in front of her then, a bluish-green liquid that immediately intrigued Peebee. “How much do I owe you?”

She just shook her head, leaning in to Peebee to not have to scream too much, “You’re part of the Pathfinder’s crew, so first round’s on me.” She smiled, and Peebee smiled back, giving her a thumbs up. This was cool. The perks of travelling with the Pathfinder…

Peebee downed her shot, sighing at the pleasant burn in her throat, then ordered another before mingling with the others, walking over to where Vetra and Drack were having a laugh talking about some of the dodgy business they’d been up to in Kadara Port.

The evening went by quickly, and Peebee wasn’t the only one having a great time. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and it only improved the drunker everybody became. Peebee was no exception. She’d already had her fair share of alcohol herself, feeling a bit tipsy despite not being a lightweight at all.

She excused herself, leaving Vetra and Drack to get another drink. While she was waiting, she scanned the room, curious what the others were doing. She chuckled to herself. There was Ryder, engaging in a poor attempt at dancing, though that’s not what Peebee would call it. _Geez, and I thought I suck._ Not far from her was Liam, doing better – but not by much.

Peebee shook her head in silent amusement, eyes moving around further. She spotted Cora talking to some asari woman, Gil was at the bar, clearly in a heated debate with Kallo – those guys really never stopped, did they? – and there was Suvi, speaking to Jaal and Lexi.

She lingered a bit here, observing the group as they talked, probably about science stuff and angaran culture, she assumed. However, her eyes were drawn to Lexi.

Peebee hadn’t really seen Lexi lately, having done her best to actively avoid the doctor ever since their talk. But she tried not to think about it, not tonight. Tonight was her personal fun time, no stress and overthinking allowed. The alcohol was definitely helping, making it harder to focus anyway. The bartender had meanwhile handed her another drink, and she was taking big sips from the sweet cocktail.

Through it all, Peebee kept staring, watching Lexi’s hands gesture as she spoke now, limited only by the drink in her left hand. Then she paused as Jaal responded.

A smile appeared on Lexi’s face then, evolving into a full-on laugh as she shook her head, her lips forming the word ‘no’ from what Peebee could tell. She couldn’t help but smile herself. Seeing Lexi like this released a surge of joy inside her, settling in her stomach; Lexi had a nice smile, a kind one. If only she showed it more often.

“Hey, you alright? You’re all on your own.”

Peebee turned at the voice in her ear, finding Vetra right next to her. “Yeah, was just waiting for my drink,” she half-lied with a lopsided smile, knowing Vetra probably saw through it but not caring.

“Alright,” Vetra responded nonchalantly, leaning against the bar next to her when Cora staggered in between them. “Hey guys… what ‘ya up to?” she slurred, putting down her nearly empty drink on the bar with an unsteady hand before ordering another.

She was _so_ drunk. Vetra chuckled next to Peebee. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough, Cora?”

“Ha! I’m far from… done,” she replied with a smirk, leaning against Peebee’s shoulder for support.

It was hilarious. The rational, down-to-business commando Cora all messed up, holding on to probably the single person of the crew that regularly annoyed her the most. Peebee had to make use of this situation, it would be criminal not to. Besides, she did have a few questions that sober Cora would never answer her.

“Hey Cora.”

“Yeah?”

“Sooo… you’re pretty into asari culture and all that,” Peebee started, fingers idly playing with the straw in her drink.

Cora was handed her drink from the bartender, a shot, downing it in one go before turning back to look at Peebee. “Oh yeah, totally. Why you askin’?” She was slurring so much, Peebee couldn’t help but chuckle. Cora would have the mother of all hangovers tomorrow.

“Well... I’m just wondering how far your ‘interest’ goes,” Peebee continued, smirking as she wiggled an eyebrow suggestively, hearing Vetra – who was intently following the conversation – let out a laugh next to her.

She wasn’t the only one. Cora started laughing herself, staggering a little as she nearly bumped into Peebee. “Wouldn’t you like to know…”

“Yeah, I would. I mean… all that time with the asari commandos…” Her voice trailed off with a slight slur, eyes focusing on Cora as well as she still could, considering she was starting to get rather drunk herself.

“Well…” Cora started, looking right at Peebee, “I’m not saying anything.” She grinned lazily, making the asari chuckle with amusement. She’d had no idea drunk Cora could be so much fun… and open. The woman’s reply had piqued her curiosity.

“Aw, leaving me hanging like that, Cora. Not cool,” the asari teased, much to Vetra’s amusement, the turian still content to be a silent observer, clearly unnoticed by Cora.

But then the commando suddenly slung her arm around Peebee’s shoulder, pulling her close to her body. “I can show you…”

Okay, Peebee was officially surprised. Cora, of all people, openly flirting with her like that. The weird effects of alcohol… This was amusing, she wanted to see how far she could take this. She smirked.

“Oh yeah?”

Cora leaned in closer, and Peebee could smell the alcohol as the woman invaded her space. “Yeah… but not here.” Her gaze flew over to the exit, a devious smirk on her lips.

_What the fuck._ Was Cora actually suggesting what Peebee was thinking? Wow.

But Peebee herself was still with it enough to understand the wrongness of the situation. This was not going to happen, for many reasons, the most important one being that Cora would never do this if she wasn’t so hopelessly drunk.

“Ah, Cora, maybe another time,” she replied nonchalantly, patting the drunk on her back.

But Cora didn’t seem to mind much, muttering an “Alright.” before she pulled away from Peebee a bit, still leaning on her but with her arm only on her shoulder. What an interesting evening…

**

Despite her reluctance to go out with the crew in the first place, Lexi was glad that she came in the end. She was having a good time, enjoying a nice glass of Serrice Ice Brandy whilst discussing all kinds of topics – mostly science – with Jaal and Suvi. In their day to day routine, there was mostly no time for that, so she highly appreciated the opportunity.

“So, Lexi. I have always wondered something about you asari. Your tentacles… do they,” Jaal paused, trying to find a word as he held his chin in thought. “Do they flop?”

It didn’t happen to her often, and maybe it was the alcohol, but Lexi started smiling when a laugh was building inside her, trying to hold it back. It was a failing effort, however. She broke, her smile dissolving into laughter as she could only shake her head. “No,” she said then, attempting to calm herself down.

“I’m sorry about that, Jaal. It’s just a question we get a lot from other species,” she explained eventually, receiving a knowing nod from Suvi, who smiled in amusement.

Gladly, it didn’t seem like the angaran took offence in her reaction, instead chuckling a little himself. “I see.”

She was glad Jaal had such a good sense of humour. She normally really wouldn’t react like that, but how could you help it with such an over-asked question? A question she’d heard far too often in her 275 years.

Suvi asked Jaal something about the Scourge then, and Lexi only half listened to the conversation – she didn’t know very much about the phenomenon – as her gaze was drawn away, settling only once it had found its target: Peebee.

She’d restrained herself all evening, looking everywhere but the young asari, despite her eyes feeling magically drawn to her. The brandy was clearly getting to her now, and she was starting to lose the discipline to not look.

Peebee was right at the bar, standing with Vetra when a clearly heavily drunk Cora staggered towards them. Lexi unconsciously shook her head, knowing she would probably see Cora in the morning when the hungover woman would come in for painkillers.

She kept her eyes glued to the group, to Peebee mainly – if she was honest with herself – seeing how Cora held on to Peebee’s shoulder now as they were talking about something.

Her mouth gaped slightly when she clearly saw Peebee’s expression change as she continued talking to Cora. She was smirking now, and Lexi immediately recognised her body language; Peebee was flirting with her. With _Cora._ And from what she could gather from the distance, the drunk commando was going along with it.

Lexi could feel a surge of something heavy and unpleasant settle in her stomach, but ignored it as she kept her eyes on the pair. They continued talking – _flirting_ , they were flirting – she corrected herself far harsher than necessary. Peebee was laughing now, and-

Lexi’s eyes widened as she witnessed Cora put her arm around Peebee, leaning in to her close. The doctor had to avert her eyes for a moment as she felt an unexpected flow of anger hit her at what she saw. It bothered her. It was none of her business, yet it made her stomach tie in a knot as anger and a bit of hurt combined.

But she wasn’t stupid. She was mature enough to recognise the feeling that was holding her in its nasty claws. Lexi was jealous. Jealous of what, exactly? She knew the answer, but dared not think it.

She had no right to feel this way. Not only that, but it was also wrong, for many reasons. She swallowed, trying to push the jealousy away. There was no place for it, it was entirely inappropriate. Her eyes fell back on the pair, surprised yet again when she witnessed Peebee’s behaviour change back to normal as she patted Cora on her back and the commando loosened her grip on the asari.

Lexi released a breath she wasn’t aware she’d been holding. She wanted to know what had been said, but it appeared as if Peebee had ended their flirt. The idea filled Lexi with far more relief than it rightfully should. _This is none of your business,_ she sternly repeated in her head, scolding herself.

“Lexi? Are you okay? You’ve gone all quiet.”

Suvi looked at her, brow creased with concern. Despite everything, Lexi had to smile at the gesture. Suvi was a kind soul, always looking after everyone.

“Yes. I’m fine, Suvi,” the doctor replied with a nod, sipping from her brandy. Maybe she’d have another one after…

 

* * *

 

 

“Come on, that would _never_ happen! I bet 200 that they won’t,” Drack laughed, slapping Vetra on her shoulder so hard she nearly fell over.

“That’s where I think you’re wrong, Drack,” Vetra replied confidently, “But fine, you’re on. 200 that they will.”

“Deal.” A quick handshake, then a laugh.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” Liam enquired, walking towards the pair with a smile.

“Ah, you know, the usual. Dragging Drack into a bet he’s going to lose.” Vetra smirked as she looked over to the old krogan.

“Ha! We’ll see about that.”

“A bet? I’m always up for that. What’s the deal?” Liam leaned in, his curiosity was officially piqued.

“See, the thing is,” Drack started, “Vetra thinks Peebee and Lexi will hook up. Ridiculous, right?” he exclaimed with a roaring laugh.

Liam chuckled. “That’s not gonna happen. Peebee can’t stand Lexi.”

But Vetra wouldn’t have any of it. “Oh yeah? If you’re so convinced, Kosta, why don’t you join in?” she taunted.

“You know what, I will. 200 that they won’t, I’m in.”

“Alright,” Vetra said with a smile. She rarely lost bets, and there was a reason for it: The turian had learned to pick up on the smallest of signals. It was essential to survive in her trade.

And she knew what she’d seen… the way Peebee had stared at Lexi in the nightclub, watching her with a dreamy smile on her face. That was one thing. But Lexi’s behaviour had been even more telling to Vetra. She’d only noticed it by accident, but once she’d seen the anger in the doctor’s face as Cora and Peebee were flirting… well, there wasn’t much to interpret wrong here.

Smiling, Vetra noted down the bets in her omni-tool. She was convinced she’d win this bet.

 

* * *

 

 

It felt weird this time as Peebee entered med bay for her check-up. It was the first time since their talk that she’d see her again, having not spoken to her since. She sighed. It just felt awkward around her now, awkward and unpleasant, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on the why. Maybe it was because despite everything, her thoughts kept drifting off to Lexi, and she had a hard time ignoring it, pushing it to the side as if it didn’t matter.

Because it did. As much as she tried to neglect it, the truth was that she was interested in Lexi. To what extent, she shuddered, refusing to think about that. But she was, there was no denying it anymore.

It only served as silent proof – as if any was needed – when the two asari met eyes and Peebee felt her heart jump, then slouch right after as reality came back to hit her in the face. _Right. Behave, Peebee._ Not a thing she had to tell herself very often.

“Hey, doc. Here for my physical.”

Lexi nodded. “As always, please take off your jacket and shirt.”

Peebee bit back the flirty comment that was begging to be released. She didn’t usually censor herself like this, it sucked. Instead, she just did as told, standing near the medical bed as she waited for Lexi to come over.

Her thoughts kept drifting off as she blankly stared at a random corner in the room, only to be snapped right out of it again when Lexi approached her.

As usual, she started by putting her hands on Peebee’s upper arms, “Stretch them to either side, please.”

Her touch was gentle, as always, but Peebee couldn’t ignore how much more intense it felt to her; it felt as if electricity was passing from Lexi’s hands right through to her skin, sparks spreading through her body in a warm sensation. It felt so nice. She wanted to lean into the touch.

“Good. Now lift.”

Unlike other times before, she wasn’t seeking out Lexi’s gaze this time, instead actively avoiding even remotely looking in her direction. For once, she was not interested in watching her.

“Okay. You can take your arms down.”

Their eyes briefly met, and it was weird, but for a split second Peebee felt as if she could see regret in those grey eyes. But then Lexi already looked away, walking over to the desk to get the sensors for the heartrate monitor.

She wondered what was going on inside her...

Then Lexi put the sensor on her and the monotonous beeping of the heartrate monitor filled the room. “Your heartrate is a bit high, but still within normal levels.”

_No shit._ She wasn’t in the least surprised about this, and she bet Lexi was considering this too, but not saying it outright.

She looked up at the doctor, eyes briefly meeting before the older asari averted hers again. This was so awkward. Good job she was nearly done here, this was driving her absolutely mad.

Lexi reached out for her right hand, holding it at the wrist to feel for the pulse. Peebee’s gaze shot over to the monitor as her heartrate went up considerably the moment Lexi touched her. The machine gave her away, no surprise here, didn’t help the awkwardness though.

She glanced over to Lexi, but she was fixating her gaze upon Peebee’s wrists, making it hard for the young asari to read her. Surely she must have noticed, though. If Peebee knew one thing about her, it was that Lexi was always paying attention to everything.

Then Lexi looked up at her, eyes meeting and lingering. “Your pulse is fine as well.”

Peebee held her gaze, trying to read what was going on behind that façade. It was hard; But she was sure those eyes looked just that little bit more open, friendlier and softer than a few minutes ago. Maybe it was wishful thinking…?

It didn’t matter. Peebee felt like she was losing herself in those beautiful eyes, as if she was being sucked in more the more she looked. She couldn’t avert her gaze, and surprisingly Lexi didn’t either, for now.

The moment ended as quickly as it had begun, however, and Peebee saw it coming the moment the expression on Lexi’s face, in her eyes changed, giving way to concern and fear.

“I’m going to protocol the results,” she said, and Peebee didn’t miss the slight shake to her voice. Then Lexi made a step backwards, retreating her hand-

_Fuck it._ Peebee reacted before her brain had caught up with her, stepping forward and grabbing Lexi’s hand. She closed the distance between their lips as her other hand held on to the doctor’s shoulder.

Lexi’s lips were soft, softer even than Peebee had imagined them. And to her surprise, she didn’t push her back or put any sort of distance between them.

Peebee twitched when she felt a hand on her back, drawing her closer as Lexi moved her lips to her rhythm. She could faintly hear the heartrate monitor going crazy, and if she’d been in a different situation, it would have been hilarious. But right now she didn’t care.

All she cared about was that this was actually happening. She was kissing Lexi, and the doctor was… going for it, giving as good as she was getting. Peebee was enjoying this; She would’ve never thought it, but damn, Lexi could kiss.

Warmness was spreading through her body, and she gave in to it, losing herself in the feeling as it spread from her stomach across her body.

Then Lexi broke the kiss, abruptly, tearing Peebee back into reality as her eyes opened.

The doctor pulled away, averting her gaze before Peebee even had the ghost of a chance to see what was going on. “We can’t. This is wrong,” she nearly whispered.

“I’m your doctor, Peebee. I’m here to keep you alive,” Lexi continued, looking at her now with a serious expression.

“Actually, that was pretty invigorating, so I’d say you’re doing a stellar job,” Peebee joked, her trademark grin on her face.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, it elicited a chuckle from the doctor as she shook her head in disbelief. “Are you ever serious about anything, Peebee?” she asked with a little smile on her lips.

“Mh, sometimes.” Peebee smiled back at her, shrugging.

They fell into a brief moment of silence, and Peebee found herself wondering. Wondering what would happen now, but wondering also – _worrying_ , increasingly – about her stand with Lexi. She was attracted to her, no doubt there. But she was afraid that more was on the horizon, and she really couldn’t deal with that. ‘No strings’ was her motto, and she lived by it for a good reason.

She was dragged out of her pondering when Lexi spoke up. “We still have to end this. I’m your doctor, it is highly unprofessional to…” she paused, looking for the right words.

Peebee nodded, signalling Lexi didn’t need to finish the sentence. Heck, maybe it was for the better anyway. Considering how thinking about it made her feel much more upset than she rightfully should let all the alarms go off in Peebee’s head, making her consider running away from Lexi as far as she could, and here Lexi was proposing doing just that, cutting this off before it got out of hand. It was sound.

“I think that’s probably a good idea, yeah,” Peebee eventually replied, making a step backwards away from Lexi as if to emphasise their point.

“Thank you… for understanding,” Lexi said softly, a faint smile on her lips. It wasn’t a particularly happy smile, Peebee thought, but more of a thankful one. She got it. She was thankful too, in a weird, slightly fucked up kind of way.

“Okay, then… uhm, are we done with the exam?” Peebee enquired, pointing to the sensor still on her chest.

“Oh, yes. Of course.” Lexi removed the sensor, walking over to the desk to put it back in its place. “You can get dressed, Peebee. We are done.”

“Cool.” Peebee couldn’t remember ever getting dressed that quickly. It wasn’t awkwardness that drove her, in fact their conversation seemed normal, healthy. It just felt like instinct telling her to run away, and quickly. Get some distance between her and the situation to process it.

So she did just that, saying her goodbyes before leaving Lexi to herself. She wanted to forget this as quickly as it had started, but deep down she had a feeling this would not be as simple as that and needed more time. And she couldn’t help but wonder what Lexi was thinking right now, and what she was feeling.

 **

Lexi let herself fall into her chair as soon as Peebee had left, sighing in frustration. It was hard, so hard. Much harder than it should be. Her thoughts were shooting through her brain with the speed of lightning as she tried to grasp so much at once; her feelings, what had just transpired, Peebee.

So many questions, so much confusion. Oh, but there was one thing she knew for certain. She’d enjoyed it. Lexi couldn’t suppress the smile that forced itself on her lips at the thought. Kissing Peebee, it was everything and yet nothing like what she’d imagined – yes, she had secretly thought about this. It was passionate, yet controlled at the same time; soft yet demanding.

She shook her head, ridding herself of the thought. It didn’t matter now, this would not happen again. It couldn’t, patients had to stay patients for Lexi to be at her best.

It wouldn’t be easy, however. Lexi had no illusions about that. She knew she had been in the progress of developing feelings for the young asari, she wasn’t kidding herself on this, not anymore. This needed to be forgotten, not an easy task for sure.

But Lexi was disciplined. She would manage, she always did, eventually. Right now, however, she had one of those rare moments where she just wanted a nice drink to rid herself of the lingering thoughts and feelings. She was sure she’d seen some in the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

 

Stress relief. That’s what Peebee needed. That, and she needed to forget, rid her mind of what had transpired today.

She pulled the woman – she believed her name was Kayleigh – closer, kissing her hard as the stranger’s hands explored her body with sensual delicacy. The way the blonde was touching her filled her with unrestrained longing and a warmness that made her whole mind fuzzy, slowly pushing away the nagging thoughts that had been stressing her out all day.

All that was left was desire and passion, not for Kayleigh in particular – at least not in a romantic way – but for the moment, for physical relief with one sexy stranger.

Just casual sex, that’s what they’d silently agreed on when they started flirting in the bar. Nothing more. It was what Peebee needed right now. Something easy and uncomplicated to help her relax, help her move on.

It had worked in the past, and it worked now as she felt lighter the more time passed, as the sensations washed over her like a tsunami, taking everything else with them into the depths of her mind where she couldn’t reach.

Only when they parted later did she realise it was probably a short-lived victory over her emotions, over herself. For now she felt okay, too shagged out to really think clearly. But there was a nagging unsettledness in the background whispering to her that it wouldn’t be this easy.


	4. Chapter 4

_A few weeks later…_

Peebee would’ve never thought it possible, but for once seeing Kalinda had been a good thing. In retrospect, anyway.

She sighed as she sat down on her bed, needing a moment to think about it all. She had been reckless, sure. Nothing new here. She’d taken them to this volcano planet to get valuable rem-tech, only for Kalinda to show up and nearly ruin the day.

Well, she actually still kind of did, Peebee thought. They had to save Kalinda from getting herself killed, effectively losing the rem-tech to the depths of the molten lava. And sure, it did bother her a bit.

But she’d realised a few things. Firstly, despite everything Kalinda had done to her, despite all the pain, the restless nights where she was haunting her in her dreams, she felt like saving her had been the right call, the only right call here. Did that make her a good person? Maybe. All she knew was that Kalinda didn’t deserve to die like that.

That was the one thing. The other – more immediately relevant to her right now – was that she felt weirdly freed. Freed of the shackles she’d put herself in the moment she broke up with Kalinda. She’d always blamed Kalinda for it, but it had been completely her own doing, really. _She_ had been the one to give Kalinda that much power over her. And somehow, seeing her again had made her realise just that.

Made her realise, also, that people could change. Kalinda seemed to have had a change of heart after her near-death experience, and yes, Peebee did mistrust her still and avidly checked the rem-tech she sent over to the Tempest for bugs, but… she could sense there was honesty to how Kalinda was acting, that she meant it.

Peebee let herself fall backwards, staring blankly at the ceiling. That nearly impenetrable wall she’d erected around herself to stop anyone in their tracks that could become dangerous, could become another Kalinda in one way or the other, she felt it give way to a more open approach to people.

Her thoughts fell to the crew, a small smile playing around her lips as it filled her heart with warmth. Heck, yes, she gave a shit about those weirdos. They’d grown to become a close family, and Peebee had been accepted as a member despite her antics, despite her trying to push everyone away.

Then Lexi entered her thoughts, and her smile disappeared as she felt sadness tug at her heart. She’d been scared, scared of what Lexi did to her, she knew that now. The doctor captivated her like no one else did, silently challenging her to penetrate that wall she’d put up around herself, not much unlike her own, Peebee realised now.

They were so alike in some ways, yet so different in others. It was a combination that felt weirdly right; Peebee was casual, living a fast life of always looking for the next rush of excitement, whereas Lexi was steady, collected, thoughtfully taking it step by step. Peebee was silly, Lexi was serious, broken up by her dry sense of humour. And there was more. But above all, they shared their curiosity in others, their will to look past the surface when dealing with people, eager to learn what lay underneath.

But most importantly, Peebee thought as a smile returned to her face, Lexi truly cared. It was so much unlike what Peebee saw in most people, and it was what mattered to her most. It was the reason she’d left Kalinda, hurt by how she’d only cared enough to possess Peebee, but not shown any true interest, genuine care about her person, about her feelings. Lexi was different, and she must be aware of it with how carefully she was guarding it from being exposed where it could easily make her vulnerable.

Peebee had tried to convince herself otherwise for so long, but now, after weeks of painfully trying to rid her mind of Lexi without success, she realised – or _let_ herself realise – she cared about Lexi. She wanted to be close to her in ways she hadn’t dared to even imagine ever since Kalinda.

Peebee exhaled loudly. How was that going to work, though? She thought back to their kiss, how Lexi had kissed her back, all passion and eagerness, and yet… the doctor had made it clear to her this wouldn’t – couldn’t – go any further and had to be stopped.

There wasn’t really any chance for her here, and she had to admit it stung. Quite a bit, actually. She turned to look at the time. It was getting late, and she was more than ready for bed after today. Maybe after a night’s sleep, it would all be fine.

 

* * *

 

 

How wrong she was. Her dreams took Peebee far, far away, feeling like a weird hallucination through space and time until she found herself in a blank yet comforting darkness, and there was… Lexi.

They looked at each other in silence, and suddenly there was a cut and Lexi stood right before her, open affection in those beautiful grey eyes. Peebee had no time to react as the doctor closed in, passion filling all of Peebee as she let go, overwhelmed by their kiss.

It felt so good, so fucking good. _Lexi._ Her mind was full of her, unable to think anything else, only feeling. Lexi was soft, she always was, even now when she found herself in bed with her, clothes flying off them, desire and tenderness mingling between them, their eyes conveying what words couldn’t.

It overwhelmed her; her biotics were going mad, purplish-blue energy spreading out all around them the moment skin touched skin, lips uniting in passion, craving to feel more of the other.

_Lexi._ Peebee shot up, panting heavily. Her heart was racing, her whole body feeling charged up. She knew why the moment she noticed her jacket fly past her, lifted up by her out of control biotics. _Fuck,_ she was on edge. Her mind refused to cooperate, not letting her let go of Lexi, Lexi in her arms, Lexi on top of her, Lexi… in her heart.

Peebee moved without thinking, practically storming out of her escape pod, feet purposefully leading her to her destination, her quick, powerful steps fuelled by her biotics.

**

Lexi couldn’t sleep. It had happened a lot lately, the dark rings under her eyes only serving as silent proof of this. She kept her mind busy, refusing to go to bed where she was alone, nothing to occupy her thoughts, to pull them away from…

“Peebee.” Lexi turned at the hiss of the door opening, the young asari wrapped in biotic power as she charged towards her with an unreadable expression on her face.

The doctor didn’t have much more time to think about it, though, because then Peebee was already right before her, arms wrapping around her as lips pressed onto hers in a demanding kiss. _I missed you,_ it shot into Lexi’s head, her protective walls crumbling into dust under Peebee’s lips.

She needed to fight this, they couldn’t- but then her hands already gripped Peebee’s back as Lexi responded, kissing her back with equal desire. She gave in; she just couldn’t anymore. The last few weeks had been exhausting, to say the least, an ongoing – but ultimately futile – effort to fight her feelings, to fight Peebee sneaking back into her mind over and over whenever she thought she’d kicked her out.

Lexi could feel her skin tingle with the sensations, only enhanced by the biotic energy around them; their lips following a slow, deep rhythm as Lexi put all of herself into this kiss, softly yet with undeniable passion showing Peebee what she’d wanted her to see for so long.

“I’m sick of playing games,” Peebee said when their lips broke apart, panting as she was trying to catch her breath.

Lexi couldn’t help but smile. “Me too,” she whispered, losing herself in those green eyes that were full of raw affection and desire. It made a shudder run down her spine. She’d never seen Peebee like that. It stirred something in her that she’d not felt in a long time.

However, she ignored it for now as her brow creased, remembering that this – what they were doing here – was still not exactly right. But just as Peebee had said: She was sick of playing games. So was Lexi.

But Peebee seemed to notice her inner struggle, speaking up before she could. “I know, I know. You’re my doctor, we can’t... yet you still kissed me back,” she said in her usual nonchalant way, fingers drawing idle circles on Lexi’s back, “twice.” She was smirking now, eyebrows raising briefly as she stared back at the doctor.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lexi’s smile returned. She liked how Peebee managed to make even normally dead serious situations more light-hearted with her casual attitude. It was contagious. “I know,” she said softly, finding herself at a bit of a loss of words.

Her features changed back to a more serious tone as she looked away in thought, “But yes, the situation is still a problem, and… I honestly do not know what we can do about it,” she admitted, looking back at Peebee. She knew very well what she wanted, but that didn’t exactly correlate with what was the right, the decent thing to do.

“Is it about the crew? Because I’m not sure whether they’d actually mind, you know,” Peebee responded in a more serious tone now. Lexi knew that the younger asari didn’t see an issue being with her doctor, but for Lexi herself it was a tough problem.

Not only because of the crew, but also because she was worried she would be distracted by Peebee, which could easily lead to her making mistakes. And if a doctor made mistakes, it could easily cost lives. This could not happen.

“Partially. I am also concerned that you will be a distraction. I cannot be distracted, Peebee. It’s crucial in my position as the Tempest’s doctor.”

“A distraction, hm? That bad, Lexi?” Peebee teased, her fingers trailing up the doctor’s back in a soft pattern as if to prove a point, not failing to notice how the older asari ever so slightly leaned into the touch.

Lexi softly bumped her shoulder, “Oh, shut up,” she joked. “You know very well what I meant.”

Peebee let out a short laugh, a knowing grin on her face for a moment before she returned to a more serious manner. “Well, here’s my idea. Why don’t we just give it a shot – by the book, with Ryder’s permission – and if it doesn’t work, there’s always the option of giving up your post… or me, but I’m awesome.”

Lexi couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Peebee was such a goof. What had she gotten herself into here? “Oh, Peebee…” she sighed, shaking her head in disbelief, but with a smile on her face.

The younger asari grinned at her. “You know it’s true.” Then her features relaxed again as she continued, “But anyway, what do you say?”

Lexi had to give her credit for her idea. It sounded rational, logical. And Lexi liked that, needed that. She needed something that made sense, something that was safe for her and the people she was responsible for. “I’d say that it sounds good.”

She paused, moving her hands up to Peebee’s shoulders as she held onto them gently. “I’d be willing to try this.” Lexi smiled, and so did Peebee, but not in a goofy way this time. Her smile showed happiness. Not that it was necessary, as Peebee moved closer right after, drawing Lexi into a tight hug.

Lexi sighed, relaxing into the contact. It was as if a heavy weight had just been taken off her shoulders, and she felt so much lighter for it. She was glad; she didn’t think she could have let Peebee go again… there were just too many feelings involved. It was the first time in a while, but Lexi knew beyond any doubt she wanted to be with her.

She hoped this would work out, her peace a short-lived one as her mind already started to run fast again with all the possibilities and implications, her body tensing up in thought.

Peebee pulled away from her then, just enough that their faces were inches apart. “You need to relax.”

Her voice was soft, just a bit more than a whisper, yet still laced with a bit of that charming cheek that was Peebee. It cast a smile on Lexi’s lips as she lost herself in those beautiful eyes, those curious, bright green colours.

Peebee closed the remaining distance between them, soft lips pressing onto Lexi’s. Within a heartbeat, her thoughts were pushed away into the back of her head, her attention focusing on Peebee, and Peebee only. It would work out, it would be okay. She actually believed this right now, and it made a surge of happiness warm her heart, spreading all throughout her body.

Her hands found Peebee’s waist, holding onto her as the younger asari needed no words to understand, pressing closer to Lexi. It was electrifying. She’d nearly forgotten how nice it was to be so close to someone you… cared about. But Peebee had brought this memory back to her, and she didn’t want to miss it anymore.

It was intense, their passion mingling, fuelling the kiss as it deepened, and Lexi could feel her mind becoming foggy with a growing desire to feel Peebee, be close to her. Then the other asari’s body pushed against hers and she went along, letting herself be walked back into her desk, with Peebee now tightly pressed against her. Hands firmly pressed on her back as they kept moving up and down slowly. She arched into the touch, goose bumps forming under her clothing.

She wanted this, the rising heat in her body serving to call her a liar if she even so much as tried to claim otherwise. But was it right? The place, as well as the timing seemed badly chosen, in fact chosen purely by impatience. Lexi wasn’t normally very familiar with that feeling, knowing better than to rush to your goal, her profession having taught her this important lesson a long time ago.

Yet even for her it was hard right now, her normally so collected self perfectly dismantled by Peebee – Peebee’s hands, her lips, the closeness…

Then a hand found her top’s zip, and Lexi made a judgement call as she forced herself to break away from Peebee, regret tugging at her heart the moment their lips parted. “Not yet… and not here,” she explained to a very confused-looking Peebee, shocked at how laboured her voice sounded already. It had been a while…

A glimmer of disappointment flashed through the eyes before Lexi, but Peebee recovered quickly. “That was hard for you, wasn’t it?” She grinned.

“Not nearly as hard as you think,” Lexi responded with the hint of a smirk playing around her lips.

“Uh-huh.” She didn’t buy it, but that was fine, considering Lexi had kind of bent the truth a bit anyway.

They fell into a comfortable silence, and Lexi instinctively leaned in and rested her head on Peebee’s shoulder, her eyes becoming heavy as sleep was creeping up on her. It wasn’t surprising. It was late now, and Lexi hadn’t slept well lately to begin with, with a certain someone constantly trying to invade her mind. She smiled into Peebee’s neck, a long sigh leaving her lips when she felt her shoulder become heavier with weight as well.

Lexi inhaled deeply, eyes falling shut. Peebee’s scent filled her nostrils, and it was so much like her; it smelled like adventure, wild and untamed, yet there was a layer of gentle sweetness to it, buried underneath. Lexi decided she liked it, very much actually.

Then she yawned, not being able to help it anymore. Peebee chuckled next to her, “Someone needs to go to bed.”

Lexi nodded. Of course she was right. It was more than overdue. They loosened their embrace, and Lexi’s eyes briefly widened when she glanced over to the clock. When her eyes focused on Peebee again, she could see she wasn’t the only one getting exhausted, however. Peebee looked like she was about to pass out.

“I would say we both need the bed.” Lexi turned to shut down her computer, and they both walked towards the door together, stopping when Peebee took her hand in hers.

“About Ryder… I can go talk to her about it tomorrow, if you want.” She was serious about this, Lexi could see it in her face, and she was glad. It was good to know, to see that she took the doctor’s wishes seriously, played along no matter how much she herself probably found ‘going by the book’ dull and boring and unnecessary. But Lexi didn’t, and it clearly mattered to Peebee.

She smiled at the younger asari, squeezing her hand lightly. “Thank you,” was the only thing she managed, feeling strangely touched by Peebee’s offer all of a sudden. Maybe it was because she didn’t expect it, expected instead to have to do the talk herself, and there was nothing wrong with that, after all she was the one with the problem here. Of course there was also the option of them both going together, but – to Lexi at least – that felt odd in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

“No problem,” Peebee responded with a smile, squeezing her hand back before leaning in to place a peck on her lips. “Good night, Lexi.”

“Good night.” Lexi smiled back – a kind, soft smile – that warm feeling encompassing her again as they parted, each going off to their separate quarters.

The smile stuck with her as she entered the crew quarters and prepared for bed. Images of earlier were sticking with her, making her feel utterly at peace while excited at the same time, excited about Peebee and about the day after. Yes, she was mildly worried Ryder would decline their relationship, but she had a feeling she knew the Pathfinder well enough by now that her optimism was justified.

Sleep found her easily this night, for the first time in a while.

  

* * *

 

 

“Ryder? Do you have a moment? It’s kinda important.” Peebee leaned against her workbench, tapping her foot impatiently. Hopefully Ryder had time to see her. It was their day off today, though, so she figured it wouldn’t be a problem.

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?”

“Uhm, can we talk about this in person?” she responded, walking around her escape pod now as she waited for a response.

“Okay, sure. Come up to my quarters.”

She was out of the escape pod in seconds, taking the ladder down to Ryder’s room, not bothering to knock as she just walked in, finding the woman in question at her desk.

Ryder looked over to her, leaving her seat to meet her halfway. “What’s up, Peebee?” Her face was open and friendly as always, a hint of a smile playing around her lips.

_You’re gonna smile more in a second, if not more._ “Yeah, so. I need permission to bang Lexi,” she blurted out casually as if the question was the most normal thing in the world.

Ryder might have as well said ‘What the fuck’ out loud, because that was exactly the expression the Pathfinder had, eyes open wide, wordlessly staring back at Peebee for a moment. “W-what?”

Peebee swatted her hand in the air, “I know, I know. Me, rules... ridiculous, isn’t it? But it’s important to Lexi.” Somehow, she had a feeling that little snippet of explanation hadn’t helped, since Ryder was still staring back at her with that expression, and Peebee wasn’t quite sure what was not to understand.

“I was talking about your ‘fraternisation protocol’ or whatever you call it,” she elaborated, looking back at Ryder in hope she would get it now.

“Oh… _Oh._ ” Clarity was settling in on that face, then another spout of surprise – briefly – and then a more neutral expression. “I get it now. Lexi wanted to do it by the rules? I mean, you don’t really-“

“Nah, I really don’t give a fuck about your little protocol,” Peebee quipped, shrugging. “Love’s an unrestricted thing in my book, Ryder.”

Ryder smiled, nodding, “Well, to be honest with you… I don’t really care either. You guys can do whatever you want.”

“Totally. Buuuut… I have a feeling that won’t be good enough for Lexi. Can you sorta, uhm, confirm you gave your okay, or something?”

Ryder scratched her head, looking a bit confused now. “So that it’s official, you mean?”

“Yeah.” Peebee had a feeling that without a proper by-the-book permit, Lexi wouldn’t quite feel safe in this. Of course, to her, the very idea of any of this was just unnecessary bureaucracy getting involved in areas that it shouldn’t. But it mattered to Lexi, and it was a condition to be with her, so it consequently also mattered to Peebee.

“Okay, yeah. Sure. Uhm, SAM?”

“Yes, Pathfinder.”

“What’s the correct way to, uhm, deal with this according to protocol?”

Peebee smirked. Ryder didn’t even have a clue.

“While protocol does not explicitly state this, a written confirmation of your consent to both Dr. T’Perro and Ms. B’Sayle should be sufficient, Pathfinder.”

Ryder nodded, then turning back to Peebee. “Okay, I’ll do that then.”

Peebee smiled, genuinely happy this was settled, clearing their way. “Thank you, Ryder. It means a lot.” While she hadn’t doubted the Pathfinder would go along, she was still relieved that she did, knowing this would have been a hell of a lot more awkward had she not.

“No problem,” Ryder responded as they walked over to the door. Peebee was in the midst of turning to leave when the Pathfinder spoke up again.

“Hey Peebee?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad for you. You seem more… at peace, and happier.”

“I am, Ryder.”

She wasn’t surprised Ryder had noticed. The last few weeks had been difficult – hell at times – and she knew she’d often been moody and irritable, closing herself off more than usual even as she’d tried to cope, tried to push away her feelings.

That changed yesterday, her run-in with Kalinda making her realise she couldn’t keep on locking everyone out, and the tormenting agony of having feelings for someone she couldn’t have lifted from her as they both caved in, not being able to handle it anymore.

Now she felt freed, thoughts of Lexi not haunting her anymore but instead serving to lighten up her mood, heart beating faster with excitement whenever her mind wandered – and it did _a lot_ , not always to innocent places, she thought, smirking to herself as she walked down the corridor of the Tempest.

She nearly jumped as she walked past med bay and the door hissed open, halting her in her tracks. Grey met green, and Peebee smiled. “Hey. I talked to Ryder.”

“I know. I’ve just received her mail. I was actually going out to look for you.” Lexi made a step into the corridor towards her.

Peebee was officially intrigued. Her trademark cocky grin returned to her face, far from innocent curiosity sparkling in her eyes. “Oh yeah?”

“It’s not what you think, you pervert,” Lexi joked, a knowing look on her face. “I wanted to ask you out.”

“Nearly as good as what I had on my mind,” Peebee responded with a wink, not failing to miss Lexi rolling her eyes at her. “When?”

“As soon as we’re back at the Nexus?”

They were currently on their way back to the station, and Peebee knew they were still around two days away from it. Sure, she hated waiting, but a date right on the Tempest was the most unromantic thing she could imagine, so she didn’t really have a choice.

“Sounds good to me. I’m up for it.” She smiled now, underlining that she meant what she was saying.

Lexi returned the gesture, making another step towards her to place a quick kiss on her lips, and Peebee’s mouth was immediately crying out for more when Lexi retreated, her soft touch lingering for a few moments after.

“I’ve got to get back to work,” Lexi said softly, pointing behind her.

“Alright. I’ll see you around.” Peebee stood there for a few moments, eyes following Lexi’s movements until she disappeared in the med bay and the door closed between them.

Peebee couldn’t wipe the smile off her face when she turned on her heels, too deeply in her thoughts to notice how someone quickly disappeared in the kitchen as she idly walked down the corridor.

 

* * *

 

 

Suvi practically charged into Vetra’s ‘office’, grinning with excitement. “Vetra… you won’t believe what I saw.”

The turian turned in her chair, lifting an eyebrow at the Scot. “Oh? Do tell.”

Suvi smirked now, confidently crossing her arms. “Well, we’ve just won the bet. I saw Lexi and Peebee kissing in the corridor.”

Vetra got up, a grin in her face. “I knew it!”

“ _We_ knew it,” Suvi corrected her proudly.

“Yes, _we_ knew it,” Vetra conceded. “The others won’t be happy… and we are going to make some nice credits.” She rubbed her hands, a rush of excitement coming over her as she imagined their stupid faces.

“Oh yeah. I’ll call them for a ‘meeting’ in the kitchen. This will be fun.” Suvi turned on her omni-tool, immediately sending an unsuspicious email to Drack, Liam and also Jaal, who had – poor soul – only entered the bet a couple of days ago. Judging other species that didn’t wear their emotions on their sleeves didn’t seem to be his specialty.

Then again, though, Peebee and Lexi really hadn’t been particularly blunt about it. Suvi would have perhaps missed the signals herself if Lexi’s irritated stares at the nightclub hadn’t piqued her curiosity in the matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go :) A bit later than I expected, but I was a little busy. So sorry for that! Hope you enjoy, as always, and feel free to leave me feedback if you want.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took me a while, but as you can see it's a bit longer as well :) Beware, it contains some NSFW stuff. Enjoy!

_Three days later…_

 

The Vortex probably wasn’t the best place for a first date, but what could you do with still such limited choice on the Nexus, with most areas still work in progress and nice restaurants and cafés probably not very high on Tann’s priority list.

But they had to make the best of it. What mattered most, anyway, was spending time with Lexi. The place was only secondary to Peebee. They sat down in one of the more secluded areas of the nightclub, the fast rhythm of the music loud in their ears but gladly not loud enough – yet – to make conversation impossible; it was still early in the evening.

But first, they needed a drink. Lexi got up to provide, and Peebee had a hard time not staring at her well-rounded curves as she walked away from her. Those tight black pants and her – not less tight – red shirt with generous cleavage were acting as magnets to her eyes, and she swore that was deliberate. Maybe, just maybe she was so sure of that because she’d aimed for the exact same effect when she opted to leave her jacket at home to give Lexi a bit more of a view.

Peebee smiled at Lexi when the asari eventually returned with their drinks. They both chose a non-alcoholic beverage, for obvious reasons. She had to admit, however, that she’d been briefly tempted to order something alcoholic to calm her nerves a little. Yes, Peebee was nervous. She’d been noticing the whole thing getting to her the moment she’d walked down to med bay to pick up Lexi.

It was their first proper date, the first time they’d arranged to meet outside the Tempest; where they’d ended up in intimate situations before purely by impulse, by decisions made in the moment, tonight it had been planned out beforehand, and Peebee – naturally more averse to planning than anything else – had been affected by that.

But it would be fine. She took a big sip of the sweet orange beverage before her, looking over to Lexi who did the same. “So, Lexi. I realised I hardly know anything about you,” Peebee started, keeping her attention on her date as she attempted to appear collected, clasping her hands which were already slightly sticky with sweat. Maybe it was the nightclub, though. _It is warm in here…_

“We didn’t exactly have many opportunities to explore in that direction,” Lexi replied truthfully, keeping eye contact throughout. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything,” Peebee blurted out, grinning at her date. She was feeling part of her nervousness wearing off, and she was glad. She shifted in her seat a bit before she continued,

“But let’s start with an easy question here. Where are you from? You strike me as a Thessia kinda asari.”

Lexi chuckled at that, “Couldn’t be further from the truth. I grew up on Omega.”

Omega? That was probably the last place Peebee would have suspected, considering Lexi wasn’t a criminal overlord, but oh well. There were some decent folk on Omega, she supposed.

“I see this surprises you.” The amusement on her face was obvious with that little smirk playing around her lips, and Peebee had a feeling she wasn’t the first to find this piece of information surprising.

“Yeah, you know. You just didn’t strike me as someone who grew up in a place where no one’s batting an eyelid at killings in the streets.” She shrugged, trying to sound more flippant about it than she actually was. In all honesty, it still shocked her a little bit. Even Peebee herself, who gladly went after every thrill life had to offer her, stayed away from Omega after her first visit because she valued her life.

“You get used to it. But I have to admit that it hardened me, so to speak. And it is what made me a doctor, indirectly.” Lexi took another sip from her drink, and suddenly Peebee found herself wondering whether the doctor had been attacked during her work on Omega, whether she’d been wounded. In any event, it made her see the other asari in a different light. No one who grew up on Omega couldn’t look after themselves. Otherwise they’d be dead.

But she focused back at Lexi, pushing those thoughts away for another time. “Oh? How did you get into it?”

“My father worked as a bouncer at Afterlife. As you can imagine, he would get hurt more often than not, and I patched him up. My parents discovered I had a talent for it, so they pooled all their resources to get me to study medicine.”

Lexi must have seen a lot. It was clear to Peebee now, and it added up with the doctor being so careful around others, not easily showing off her caring and compassionate side to anyone. It just didn’t work like that on Omega, Peebee knew that much. She smiled, hand instinctively reaching out to hold Lexi’s.

The doctor gently squeezed her hand, rubbing over her palm with her thumb. “What about you, Peebee?”

“Ah, you know. Grew up on Hyetiana, spent most of my childhood with my mom and sister, pretty standard stuff. Got bored of it eventually and joined the Andromeda Initiative.” She was aware that this probably sounded horribly rushed, but there really wasn’t much else to her early life. It had been dull, boring and pretty standard as far as she was concerned.

“You joined all on your own? No one to come with you?” Peebee swallowed. Leave it to Lexi to pick on the single detail she didn’t really want to explore deeper.

“Well – ugh – no. I came with someone.” She looked away, her throat becoming dry. Yes, she was done with Kalinda and had found her peace, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel vulnerable and uncomfortable talking about her.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it.” Lexi’s thumb brushed over her knuckle as the asari smiled at her, underlining her words.

_Can’t hide stuff from a psychologist._ She was glad that Lexi let her drop it, though. She didn’t particularly want to talk about this yet, especially not here, on a date. Peebee wanted to enjoy herself and not become miserable talking about past mistakes.

“I’ll tell you about it another time, okay? Just not tonight,” she offered, smiling back at Lexi who nodded. “Okay.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, and Peebee’s eyes began drifting down whenever Lexi was looking elsewhere. Her thoughts weren’t faring much better, heck, she’d always kind of lived in the gutter. But who could blame her with someone as pretty as Lexi as her date?

It seemed she wasn’t the only one staring, though. When her eyes wandered up to glance at Lexi, she clearly caught the doctor’s eyes roaming over her body, grinning a little when she quickly averted her look then.

However, she didn’t plan on staying quiet for the rest of their evening. She wanted to learn more about Lexi; what did she like to get up to when she wasn’t working? What kind of movies did she like, or did she prefer series? Or both? Peebee was painfully aware of the fact that while, yes, she had already gotten to know Lexi’s personality rather well – though that, too, wasn’t entirely explored of course – she barely knew anything about what kind of hobbies the doctor pursued when she was off work.

“So, Lexi, what do you-“ her eyes were suddenly very aware of activities at the other end of the bar, drawn to a spot behind Lexi. “oh fuck.”

“What’s going on?” Lexi turned around, and now they could both see how a krogan and a turian were standing close, clearly arguing passionately about something. A group of people was gathering around them, and it was more than clear this wouldn’t stay peaceful for much longer.

Then it already happened as the krogan took a hefty step forward, headbutting the turian with brutal force, making him fly back right into the counter with a loud bang as bouncers hastily approached the group from the other end of the bar. Peebee sighed. Of course this had to happen on her date.

Lexi turned back to her, solid determination shining from her eyes now, “I need to go over there. He will need medical attention after a krogan headbutt.”

_Of course. That’s what you get when you date a doctor, Peebee._ But she wasn’t angry, not at Lexi anyway. It was her job, and thinking about it, it was actually kind of cute to see her care about people like that. It was just… bad timing. Really bad timing. But what could you do.

Peebee nodded back to Lexi, getting up with her. Before she could even so much as open her mouth to say something, the doctor already leaned in to place a peck on her lips.

“I’ll make it up to you, okay?” Lexi smiled, and so did Peebee. She could accept that.

“I’ll hold ya to that, Lexi,” she said, grinning at the doctor. “See you back at the Tempest, okay?”

Peebee placed another brief peck on Lexi’s lips as the doctor nodded, saying her goodbyes before rushing over to the group of people that was now dissolving as the bouncers did their job and calmed everyone down. As Peebee walked to the exit, she could see the turian sitting up against the bar, holding his head in pain when Lexi arrived and kneeled down next to him.

_You’re in good hands, buddy._ She looked back once more before she left the nightclub, smiling when she saw Lexi checking her new patient for any deep wounds.

_She really cares._ She kept the thought in her head as she leisurely strolled through the dimly lit Nexus docks. Yes, she was still a little bit annoyed that this incident had ended their date early. But at the same time, it came with a promise for another, and that was more than enough to make a smile return to Peebee’s lips as she entered the Pathfinder’s ship.

 

* * *

 

 

The next few days passed quickly. Despite being docked at the Nexus currently, the Pathfinder’s team had their hands full with work. Apart from political incidents and other bureaucratic Pathfinder business that Ryder had to take care of, the crew had their own tasks in restocking the Tempest’s supplies amongst other things.

So it came as no big surprise that Peebee barely got any chance to see Lexi at all, let alone go on another date with her before they left the Nexus again. It was disappointing, to say the least, especially knowing that the only chance for another proper date would arise once they’d return to the Nexus next time – whenever that would be.

They spent the next few weeks travelling all across the Heleus Cluster, mainly helping out the angara and studying vaults. Despite their busy schedule, Peebee and Lexi made an effort to squeeze in some time together whenever they could, often meeting at the vidcon terminal late in the evening when no one was nearby to disturb them, sharing drinks together while making conversation.

It often went on for hours, resulting in them going to bed much later than they should, but as far as Peebee was concerned it was absolutely worth it. She could listen to Lexi’s beautiful voice for hours and it didn’t tire her out, on the contrary, only made her curious to learn more.

And from the interested glimmer in those grey eyes when Peebee spoke, the way Lexi leaned forward in genuine interest as she listened to her, she could tell the doctor felt the same.

It was weeks later when Peebee got up in the morning to a most pleasant message on her omni-tool. It was from Lexi, the doctor informing her that she’d just learned they’d return to the Nexus and asking whether she’d be up for dinner at her apartment.

She smiled, all sleep gone from her in an instant as she typed up a hasty response, heart beating hard in her chest. She’d been waiting for this. As nice as their regular meet-ups at the vidcon had been, she longed for a proper date with her doctor, glad that she’d finally get it now.

Now she only needed to hold out another week till they’d be back at the Nexus.

 

* * *

 

 

Peebee grinned like a madman as she walked through the Nexus docks, her feet carrying her with a lightness in her step. She’d counted the days, and now finally they were back and she’d get her date with Lexi. That was where she was headed right now.

Coming to a standstill before the apartment Lexi had told her was hers, Peebee straightened her black top once more before raising her hand to knock. It took a few minutes before the door clicked open and Lexi smiled at her on the other side.

“Peebee. There you are.” The doctor stepped back, gesturing with her hand for the younger asari to come in before pressing her lips onto hers in a brief touch.

“Just… give me a minute, okay? I’ve got Ryder on hold in the other room, it’s important.”

Peebee couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that with feigned annoyance. _Typical Ryder._

Lexi shot her a knowing smile. “I’ll make it quick, I promise.”

The doctor disappeared with a door hissing shut behind her, leaving Peebee to herself in the main room. She really hoped this wouldn’t take too long. Taking a few steps towards the centre of the room, she let her gaze swipe, taking in the place.

It was… very much like Lexi. Everything was tidy, and at first glance you would probably describe the place as almost sterile the way everything was exactly in the place it’s supposed to be, with not a single bit of clutter lying around. It wasn’t unpleasant, however, just didn’t necessarily immediately give off a vibe of cosiness. At first glance.

_Just like Lexi,_ Peebee mused as she walked around the apartment, soon unravelling the layers of Lexi’s apartment akin to the way she’d done it with the doctor herself. It was simple: If you bothered to look closer and pay attention to detail, you could spot how Lexi put her personality in the place; the clearly perfectly maintained first aid kit was only one of those things, the picture on her bedside table of a turian and an asari together with Lexi – her family, Peebee assumed – another.

Then Peebee stood in front of her vid collection, going through the discs leisurely. Some of those movies were clearly job related, but when she got to the others it became interesting. She hadn’t really thought about it much, and yet it surprised her to find action vids in Lexi’s collection. She went on.

_Ah, that’s more what I expected._ Crime. That was definitely like Lexi. There were also some horror movies, and that… was it.

Peebee sighed in relief. “Glad she’s not the type for romcoms. That would’ve been awkward.” She spoke to herself, grinning even though no one could see it. She fucking hated romcoms.

She busied herself looking around a little more until she felt like she’d seen everything. Lexi still wasn’t back, and Peebee hoped she wouldn’t take much longer because she was getting bored. She let herself fall onto the sofa, breaking out in a pleased smile at the softness of the fabric, her thoughts drifting away as her eyes closed.

It wasn’t long till she heard the door hiss open behind her, footsteps on the floor coming closer to the couch. Peebee’s eyes shot open and her head turned. _Finally._

“I see you’ve made yourself comfortable,” Lexi commented as she put a datapad aside, then walked towards Peebee.

“Yeah, well, it’s a pretty comfy couch,” the younger asari responded, tapping the soft material in appreciation. “How did it go with Ryder?”

Lexi sighed as she let herself drop onto the sofa next to Peebee. “She just needed some medical advice and had a few questions about the stock of the Tempest.”

Peebee smiled, nodding at her. She wasn’t quite sure what else to say, she was mainly glad that Lexi was able to get away from Ryder quick enough. Yes, it sounded selfish – and it was – but this was _their_ evening.

“So, are you hungry? I made food for us.”

“You bet I am.” Peebee grinned.

The food was delicious. As it turned out, Lexi had taken the time to learn how to prepare some angaran dishes, and Peebee – always the adventurer – gladly took the opportunity to try more of their food. She didn’t regret it.

They sat down on the sofa after to talk some more, and time flew by fast as they jumped from one topic to another. It was always like that with them, and Peebee still saw the humour in that, considering that when she first met the doctor, she wouldn’t have in the world thought they’d be able to talk about anything at all. How wrong.

However, she noticed something seemed to bother Lexi as the doctor looked away briefly, her brow creasing with worry. “Peebee?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think I don’t care about my patients?” She looked directly at Peebee now, and it was evident that this bothered Lexi; she seemed unsettled.

Peebee had a feeling she knew why Lexi asked her this question, though. “No, I can see you care. Buuuut… I _used_ to think – for a short while, anyway – that you didn’t care.”

She could see the surprise on Lexi’s face, followed by her rubbing her hands over her thighs in a clear effort to collect herself. “Really? Why is that?”

“Because you’re not slapping your patients in the face with it. You’re concealing it pretty well,” Peebee explained calmly, yet with her usual relaxed attitude. “I just dug deep enough to see it anyway, ya know.”

Lexi chuckled. “Oh, I know that. I’ve noticed you analysing me, Peebee.”

Peebee smirked. “Same as I saw you analysing me,” she countered. “But anyway, why did you ask? Did someone say something?”

The doctor nodded, meeting eyes. “Yes. And it’s not the first time. In fact, that’s what most of my exes said.”

_Then they must be a bunch of superficial idiots,_ Peebee felt like saying, but didn’t. Sure, it was one thing to not spot how much Lexi truly cared if you were her patient. It could easily happen, happened to her, even if not for long. But in a relationship… how, even? Peebee was beginning to think Lexi must’ve been with a bunch of pricks before. She clenched her fist as anger rose within her.

But she decided that kind of comment probably wouldn’t help Lexi very much right now. Peebee licked her lips.

“Well, I know you care,” she started softly, smiling, “it’s one of the things I like about you so much.” _Cringe. So cheesy. But true._

“And if there was a less cheesy way to say it, I wou-mhhh,” Peebee attempted to say, but she didn’t get to finish it as lips were on hers then, taking her breath away. She didn’t mind… at all. She’d been longing to kiss those lips all evening.

She placed her hands on Lexi’s shoulders, leaning closer to her in need for more. Lexi was gentle yet passionate, and it magically drew Peebee in, wanting to taste those lips forever. Hands slung around her upper back as they deepened their connection, and it wasn’t long at all till Peebee could feel a familiar heat slowly smoulder her body.

She was disappointed when suddenly, they parted, leaving her with a feeling of emptiness as Lexi stayed just out of reach, their faces still close, so close. It only increased her longing.

Peebee looked into her eyes, stunned by the passion and desire she found in the darkened grey colours. She knew why Lexi had interrupted; she didn’t need to ask… Peebee was more than willing, had been for a while if her thoughts were anything to go by.

Before Lexi could speak up, Peebee’s lips were already united with the doctor’s again, picking up where they left off. Her skin tingled; she’d been fantasising about this, wanting to be close to Lexi like this for a while, at the very least since that heated moment they shared in the med bay. Peebee had never been very patient when it came to sex, admittedly, but despite that and her clear desire for Lexi, she felt different this time. She felt a deep wish like she wanted to take her time, not rush in for a quick release like she usually did.

There was something more, something she’d always longed for in past relationships – like Kalinda – but had never received, something to give it more purpose than just a quick fulfilment of their physical needs: their hearts were involved. Peebee knew this for herself, and she could _feel_ it held truth for Lexi as well. She smiled into the kiss.

Hands were moving down her back, gripping at her hips, and she shuddered. It had always been her weakness, something about the gesture making her feel so wanted, and she also quite liked the aspect of control, of giving herself to her lover. Other scenarios where Lexi could hold her like this breached her cloudy mind, and Peebee felt like they just weren’t close enough. She held onto Lexi’s shoulders for support, lips coming to a rest, brushing over the doctor’s as she moved to straddle her.

Then Lexi’s lips were already flush against hers again, the want in every of the doctor’s movements sending a shiver through Peebee’s body, hips pressing downward against Lexi’s as the grip on her waist tightened, keeping her just there. Peebee loved it; Lexi was taking control, yes, but she didn’t lose her tenderness over it. Peebee’s hand wandered up, cradling Lexi’s face, brushing her thumb over the soft skin. She was happy.

Lexi leaned into the touch, smiling against Peebee’s lips. She could sense the younger asari was eager, and yet there was a tenderness to her even now as passion was overwhelming them both. Peebee was a kind, soft soul, Lexi knew this, and she felt honoured that the asari let her in to see it, opened up for her. She could only speculate Peebee had been hurt in the past, considering how hard it had been for her to get over her commitment issues. Not that much unlike herself, Lexi figured, but then lips broke away from hers and deep green eyes met hers, unwavering affection laced with unrestricted desire, interrupting any cloudy thoughts she still had going on.

Peebee was beautiful, there was no denying it. Lexi couldn’t keep her eyes off her when the asari with one swift movement removed the black top she was wearing.

Glancing behind them to the bed, Peebee leaned in close, “You wanna take it to bed?”

Her voice was low and breathy, speaking volumes of her longing for Lexi, making the doctor’s heartrate jump as a shudder ran down the length of her spine. She nodded, “Yes,” not surprised in the least her own voice was a desire-ridden mess by now. She wanted Peebee.

_Fuck._ The way Lexi’s voice had a dark edge to it, coupled with both their breathlessness, it was already driving Peebee a bit crazy, her mind foggy with want, and they hadn’t even properly started yet. She moved off Lexi, immediately darting for the bed with the other asari behind her.

She stopped, about to turn to Lexi when she felt the other asari right behind her, body pressed flush against her as hands roamed over her exposed stomach, making her gasp. Peebee hadn’t expected that move from Lexi, and it only turned her on further for it, wondering in what other ways she could surprise her.

Then she felt hot breath tickle her neck and lips pressing down, peppering gentle kisses on her skin. Peebee held on to the hands firmly planted on her stomach, eyes briefly falling shut as she gave in to the sensations. But not for long. She already missed Lexi’s lips, so she turned in her arms.

Peebee didn’t fail to notice the desire evident in Lexi’s eyes as she sought out her lips, sighing when they found each other in a hot embrace. Lexi pushed up against her, and she got the hint, letting herself be walked back the few remaining steps to her bed until her legs hit the frame, clinging onto Lexi, hands impatiently tugging at her shirt now.

Lexi didn’t need to be asked twice; she released her hands from Peebee, reluctantly breaking their kiss, if only for a moment to discard her shirt. She caught the asari staring, but didn’t give her a great chance to take it in as she gently pushed again and Peebee went along, letting herself fall on the bed. Lexi followed her down, watching hands immediately seeking out her bra clasp when she was in range of Peebee.

She couldn’t help the smile on her face, watching her closely as she removed Lexi’s bra. Peebee’s eyes were roaming shamelessly, and in her earlier years Lexi would have probably found that uncomfortable; now, however, she felt more than flattered by the compliment.

But Peebee wasn’t shy either; once she’d sat up and Lexi had taken off her bra, her eyes confidently sought out Lexi’s, a small smile on her lips as she noticed the doctor scan every inch of her now exposed chest.

Peebee’s longing was only growing, already feeling deprived of her lover’s embrace. She grabbed Lexi by the shoulders, pulling her down with her, feeling her weight settle on her, hot smooth skin pressing against hers. They weren’t even completely nude yet, and already Peebee felt burning hot inside, sighing into Lexi’s lips as the doctor kissed her deeply.

That wasn’t the only thing she was feeling, though. Lexi’s embrace made her feel at ease, a soothing warmness spreading in her chest; Peebee felt protected and… loved. It only expanded further when Lexi’s hand sought hers, clasping their hands together in a grip that was as gentle as she was. Peebee wanted this moment to last forever. She brought up her free hand, fingers caressing up and down the doctor’s back in soft patterns. She paused briefly when she felt rough tissue, tracing the scar with her fingertip; Omega popped back into her head. A dangerous place to live… Peebee squeezed Lexi’s hand, not sure whether it was to reassure her or herself.

It didn’t matter; Lexi interrupted their lip lock, panting slightly as she met her eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I’m tougher than I look.” She squeezed Peebee’s hand back, a reassuring smile on her face.

It helped. Somehow, Peebee had no hard time at all imagining Lexi kicking some ass. Talking about asses… absentmindedly, her hand had reached the hem of Lexi’s pants. She couldn’t resist, letting her hand wander further down to grab a good feel of the soft flesh through her pants, grinning when Lexi hummed in response.

“I see you’re eager to move on,” the older asari commented with a little smirk of her own, tracing her free hand down to Peebee’s collarbone and lingering there.

“Well, you _are_ pretty distracting,” Peebee countered, that smirk still plastered on her visage. However, it was quickly wiped off when Lexi retaliated, moving her hand down to cup a breast, deliberately brushing her thumb slowly over her nipple, pleased with the sharp gasp that she heard. Peebee was a tease, sure, but Lexi had her moments herself, and right now she was happy to prove it. Leaning down, the doctor brought her mouth to the unattended nipple, tracing her tongue around it in circles. She closed her eyes, wrapping her lips around it, tongue flicking against the nipple in quick lashes before she brought in her teeth.

Peebee gasped, chest pressing into her lover. Lexi knew what she was doing, and it was pleasantly driving Peebee mad, only serving to remind her – not that she’d need it – how much she wanted Lexi. She didn’t want to wait anymore. Moving her hand away from the doctor’s butt, around to the front, she clumsily fiddled with the button of her pants until she got it to open.

Lexi sat up, removing the last layers of garment on her person in a few quick movements while Peebee reached down and undid her own pants, stripping off and kicking them off the bed.

They looked at each other then, eyes full of desire taking in the body of the other as Lexi slowly crawled towards Peebee, anticipation growing with every inch she neared. Their fully nude bodies made contact, and Peebee’s hips instinctively opened up as Lexi wedged her leg between them. Peebee brought up a hand, making up for the fact that she’d not had a chance yet to appreciate her lover’s full breasts, pleased to be met with a gasp as Lexi closed the distance between their lips yet again, bringing up a hand to cup her face.

It was an eager kiss, and she could sense Lexi’s unrestrained want as a tongue brushed against her lips, asking for entry that she gladly granted. Peebee’s finger was tweaking a hard nipple now, eliciting a groan that her lips swallowed. Despite all the sensations, Peebee was very aware of Lexi’s hand wandering down to her breasts, her gentle touch gone as quickly as it came as fingers trailed down further, making her muscles tense in anticipation.

She wanted to give herself to Lexi, she wanted to feel all of her, no more borders… she wanted to _meld._ Peebee had never been sure of this before, shying away from melding in the past, afraid of the closeness and untrusting of herself in such a deep connection. Yet right now, for the first time she wasn’t afraid but eager, _knowing_ with an encompassing clarity that she wanted, needed this. She trusted Lexi, and she trusted herself.

Lexi’s hand moved a little further south, stopping right before her mound, and Peebee found the doctor’s free hand with her own, lacing their fingers together as Lexi did earlier. Her heart was pumping in her chest; she needed to ask Lexi now-

Lips drew away from her, dilated pupils focussing on her own. “Will you meld with me, Peebee?” Lexi’s voice was but a breath, words carefully chosen and full of affection, the tenderness with which she spoke taking all the pressure away from Peebee and filling her with warmth instead.

It touched Peebee on a deep level, and she could feel the familiar urge to meld, that tingling in the back of her head. But this time she wouldn’t supress it. “Yes, I want to. And you can call me Pelessaria.”

She didn’t use her real name very often, but right now it strangely mattered to her, making her feel closer not only to Lexi but to herself. It was intimate. She needed to hear Lexi say it.

“Okay… Pelessaria.” The way she pronounced her name… it touched Peebee on an emotional level as much as it turned her on further, the way Lexi’s accent made it sound so… sultry.

Lexi smiled down at her, the affection in her eyes filling Peebee with a protective warmness. There was nowhere she’d rather be right now. She placed her free hand on Lexi’s shoulder as the doctor leaned in to caress her neck with her lips the same moment Peebee felt movements further south as tender fingers trailed over her mound and lower…

She let out a shaky breath when Lexi grazed over her ridge, hips jerking when she did it again. Her body was crying out for her touch, not sure how long she could last till madness would overcome her. But Lexi didn’t seem to be interested in stalling either. Peebee could hear her laboured panting next to her neck as Lexi rubbed a few circles over her swollen ridge, then moved further down, coating herself in Peebee’s slick wetness as she went.

Peebee was slowly losing control as her desire overwhelmed her, bluish energy now swirling around them as her biotics flared up. She was only now becoming aware of how tightly she was grasping onto Lexi’s hand, sweat having accumulated in between them; not that anyone cared.

The only thing that mattered to her anymore was Lexi, Lexi on her mind, Lexi in her heart, and Lexi… in her. The intrusion was quick, two fingers effortlessly pushing inside her, walls immediately contracting around Lexi as she started up a slow pace, the bluish energy intensifying around them as Lexi’s biotics mixed in with hers.

Peebee let out a moan, tightly clinging onto Lexi, hips pushing into her lover’s fingers as pleasure overcame her. The urge to meld was becoming stronger, but Peebee waited for Lexi to initiate.

The doctor moved away from her neck, making eye contact with Peebee, and for a split second they just held each other’s gaze. “Embrace eternity, Pelessaria.”

She felt Lexi’s mind reaching out to her, a tender brush against her own, gently asking for entrance. Peebee sighed as she let go, opening for her.

It was incredible. She could feel their minds mingle, borders blurring away as two became one. The world around them distorted into fuzzy lines and bright colours until she opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by a black and purple endless nothingness. Lexi was on top of her still and inside her, and… _everywhere_.

Peebee smiled as Lexi’s emotions bled into hers. There was so much affection; she felt so loved, and wanted. She was so deeply connected to her, no barriers left as she could openly see all of Lexi, and Lexi could see all of her. It took her breath away.

_You’re so gentle, so loving, so… beautiful._

_You are too, Pelessaria. This means so much to me._

It took Peebee a moment to realise that her thoughts weren’t private anymore. Lexi could hear her every thought, feel every little thing she could feel herself. They were truly one.

_Me too. It’s perfect._

She felt the thrusts picking back up, harder now, and she moaned, now feeling not only her own pleasure but Lexi’s too – _their_ pleasure – only turning her on further for it. Her walls were tightening around Lexi, their minds heavy with raw desire. Lexi was so passionate, it nearly made her come right then, muscles contracting around the fingers buried inside her; the doctor moaned in response, and so did she, nails digging into Lexi’s skin as she felt them being pushed closer and closer towards release. She didn’t want it to end. Peebee wanted to stay here forever, with Lexi.

_It’s okay. We can’t stay in the meld forever, but I’ll not go anywhere._

Lips pressed onto hers in a deep kiss then, her hips bucking into Lexi, and the asari only thrust faster for it, making her clench with need.

_Thank you, Lexi._

Peebee unclasped her hand from Lexi’s, blindly reaching down until she found her. Hips pushed into her as she entered Lexi, their moans swallowed by the kiss as both thrust in a perfect rhythm, guided by the meld. She could feel it all, the sensations overwhelming her as they approached their climax. Lexi wanted her to thrust deeper, so she did, both moaning as the doctor’s hips pushed into her hand, her ridge rubbing against Peebee’s palm.

They couldn’t drag it out any longer, their desires too powerful to contain. Their lips broke away as the two asari were pushed over the edge, crying out in pleasure at their combined orgasm, bodies trembling as they were riding it out alongside each other.

Then it went quiet as their movements stilled and Lexi collapsed on top of her. Peebee let out an exhausted sigh. It was hands down the best orgasm she had ever had; the intensity of it had blown her away, being so connected with Lexi both physically and in their minds.

She smiled. It was peaceful, perfect, and yet… Peebee felt a pang of sorrow hit her at the very idea of ending this connection.

Lexi looked up at her, and Peebee could feel the reassurance bleeding over into her, alongside a thick layer of affection. A hand found hers, squeezing softly.

_I love you, Pelessaria._

_I love you too._

The words had lost all meaning to her after Kalinda, and she’d stopped looking out for it, convinced it didn’t really exist anyway. Not in her world, she thought. But it did, she could sense it in Lexi as much as she felt it in her own heart.

Peebee continued smiling at Lexi as the world around them blurred back into existence with the meld ending.

She wanted to say something, but found herself at a loss of words. It was unusual for her, for sure, but she didn’t mind. It was perfect as it was, no words were necessary.

Lexi seemed to agree, moving off her to lie beside her. Peebee turned to face her, drawing her into a tight hug. She placed a kiss on her shoulder, resting her head against her after. Lexi had given her something that no one else had, and she was so grateful.

For a few moments, they just lay there like that, enjoying each other’s closeness, and for once Peebee was glad to just slow down and _enjoy_ the moment. She realised that she’d lived from moment to moment for so long that she’d never really taken the time to just slow down and… live. She wanted to change that.

Lexi placed a few featherlight kisses down Peebee’s neck, smiling when the other asari moved into the touch. She was happy, still in awe at what had happened in the meld. It hadn’t been her first meld by far, of course, but rarely had they been as intense as this one, and never had she connected with someone whose emotions were so raw, who felt so deeply for her. It touched her so much.

However, she thought, there was something else that she’d noticed, something that she hadn’t expected.

“I was surprised to learn this was your _first_ meld. It’s uncommon at your age,” Lexi spoke up next to Peebee’s neck, voice soft.

_How does she…? Oh, yeah._ Of course, she would have found that out in the meld. “It just didn’t happen before,” Peebee replied truthfully, hands stroking down Lexi’s back when a surge of happiness hit her.

She moved to make eye contact then, smiling, “I’m glad it did now, though.”

Lexi placed a kiss on her lips. “Me too.”

The doctor then moved to pull the duvet over them, and Peebee curled up against her after Lexi had turned off the lights. Sleep found them soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, since I'm pretty bad at plots and all that, this story is coming to an end. I'm writing up a little epilogue right now that I will upload probably tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed this little journey, I certainly did!


	6. Epilogue

They’d made it. They’d finally defeated the Archon… for good. Peebee still couldn’t quite believe it as she made her way out of the vault in Meridian, Vetra next to her and Ryder and her brother walking behind them as the Pathfinder supported her exhausted sibling.

“I’m so glad this is finally over,” Vetra spoke up, looking over to Peebee as the first rays of sunlight were shining through the cracks, a clear indicator they weren’t far from the exit.

“Me too. This prick was starting to go on my nerves,” Peebee joked.

She sighed then, smiling in awe at the light shining on her face. “And we’ve got Meridian now, it’s amazing.” It really was. Meridian was unlike anything she’d imagined before, a mystery waiting to be unravelled. And yet, one thing was already clear: It was exactly what they needed to make the Heleus Cluster a better home, that much was certain after they’d activated it and it was already producing the most awe-inducing results all over the Heleus Cluster.

“It is,” Vetra agreed. “You must be thrilled to study it, Meridian certainly is far from been-there-done-that, huh?”

Peebee chuckled, “Definitely. But first,” she looked over her shoulder to Ryder, “I really need a holiday.”

“Don’t worry about it, you’re not the only one, Peebee,” the Pathfinder replied, grunting under her brother’s weight. “I’ll approve a nice long holiday for the whole crew soon as we’re out of here.”

Vetra chuckled. “Any ideas what you’re gonna do, Peebee?”

“Well, that depends on how much time I’ve got left after I managed to drag Lexi away from work.”

Even Scott let out a small laugh now. Everyone knew the truth in her statement. Lexi loved her work, and some would argue she loved it a bit too much, rarely taking a break even on her days off. Peebee wasn’t too concerned, however. She had ways…

They reached a big door, and from the amount of light and the noise coming from outside, they knew it was most likely the exit. Ryder opened it, spotting a crowd of people at the end of the tunnel that followed.

Everyone turned when they noticed the Pathfinder approach, and there was some cheering as well. Peebee couldn’t help but smile. _This is what it must feel like to be a hero_ , she thought to herself.

Her smile widened when the masses opened up and a familiar face appeared, running towards them. Lexi was with them in a heartbeat, stopping Peebee in her tracks as arms securely wrapped around her.

“I’ll need to check on Scott and Sara in a second, but… I just need you now. I was worried sick.”

Peebee placed her hands around Lexi’s waist. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Always am, right?” She smiled, placing a hand on Lexi’s cheek.

The doctor couldn’t help the smile conquering her lips despite all the stress she’d had to live through for the past hours. It was so much like Peebee to say something like that. She shook her head, still smiling as she pressed her lips onto the younger asari’s for a rushed kiss.

She could see the disappointment in Peebee’s face when she had to break it, more than aware that she had a job to do. “Sorry, but I’ve got to see to the Ryders. I’ll make it up to you later, okay?”

“You bet.” Now Peebee smirked, and Lexi knew very well what was going on in that depraved mind of hers.

The doctor rolled her eyes, placing another soft kiss on her lips before rushing over to the Pathfinder and her brother.

Peebee smiled as her eyes followed Lexi, watching her get to work as she reached Sara and Scott. It had all worked out… the Remnant, Meridian… Lexi and her. It had been one hell of an adventure – exactly why she’d come to Andromeda – and she was glad.

She looked around to the crowd, spotting some of her fellow crew members; there was Cora, talking to the asari Pathfinder, and she could easily spot Suvi chatting to a group of scientists. Her gaze fell back to Lexi, and a pleasant warmness engulfed her heart. _We’re home. This is home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This (short) epilogue marks the end of this story. Thank you all so much for reading and for the feedback you've given me :) I've enjoyed writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading it too.


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